Marked
by x-LittleMissAlice-x
Summary: AU: School is hard enough as it is, especially when you're a new student attending an assassin academy, but what happens when Fran is being bullied? What if that bully is none other than Belphegor? Yaoi, M BullyxVictim.
1. Marked

**A/N: **Hey guys! c: So, it has been almost a full year since _Marked_ has been published so I decided to edit it. Same concept, but tweeked. I think it is so much more clean-cut now, and all the chapters I have published flow so much better.

If you are new to reading this story - welcome! And I really hope you enjoy it. c: If you are re-reading this story KUDO's to you! And you will probably notice a ton of changes throughout it. I will try to update more frequently and get some chapters uploaded this spring break! You guys totally deserve it. I love you all, and thanks so much for your reviews! It really has helped me get through this story. c:

**Warning: **_Marked_ is rated M. That means their will be smut. Yes, lovely smut. Not only that, but **this is a dark fic. **That means their will be twists, and things may not always seem like a happy ray of sunshine. Their will be rape, language, kidnapping, character deaths ( yes, those aweful character deaths. T-T ) and all that good stuff. Their may be some fluff in here, but not for long. Enjoy the happy fluff while it lasts before everything goes down hill. You have been warned.

**Summary: **Fran is a young student attending a secret school that isn't even known to exist; Varia Assassin Academy. For as long as Fran can remember he has been preping to be admitted to this school, going as far as to shut off his emotions to do so. After a certain period of time a battle royal of sorts is taken place between the students' of the Varia and Vongolia school district. The winner is allowed a single wish. Going to a school filled with crazed students with weapons pointed at every corner is bad enough, but imagine having your own personal bully on your very first day of school to top it all off. But Fran has enough to worry about besides the masochistic Belphegor. With overly strict, rich parents, an unknown organization behind the scenes, a secret that will change Fran's life forever, and a connection that will morph all their lives, _Marked_ is a story full of twists and turns. What is Fran's relationship with Belphegor? How will Fran handle all these problems thrown at him? And lastly, what will Fran wish for if he makes it through school alive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

* * *

**Marked**

**By: x-LittleMissAlice-x**

**Chapter 1 - First Encounter**

_"Yo, Toad!"_

A sudden voice exclaimed and rippled through the woods, echoing within the tall, thick trees. The boy being announced as 'Toad' immediately stopped in his tracks, his gaze still fixated on the ground. He slowly turned around on the edge of his heel towards the area the sound had been coming from. A gentle sigh finally left his lips.

_"Great. It's the big bad wolf,"_ he thought sarcastically, frowing. Why did it always have to be him? Why couldn't this guy just leave him alone for once?

The boy in the woods seemed to blend in with the green bushes and trees. He had long mint-green hair that flowed messily to his jaw line and a little bit over his brows. A pair of round, emerald jewels claimed to be his eyes as they sparkled and shimmered in the sunlight. He couldn't have been older than thirteen in reality, but the look deep within his eyes told there was more to him than what you could see at first glance. There was an essense about him that was mature. The look within his eyes was filled with both knowledge and wisdom, like he had seen first hand the hardships of the world and remained to carry them on his bare shoulders. He may have had an angelic face, but was a merciless and emotionless machine when given the chance. He didn't exist, simply because he was told he never did. To him, everything he did felt indifferent. He couldn't bring himself to feel anymore.

For as long as he could remember he was invisible to the world, and was actually starting to like it that way. At least, that was until he was unlucky enough to cross paths with an arrogant, unpredictable blond. Being admited to the Varia Assassin Academy is bad enough, but imagine having your own personal bully to top it all off. Now, think about that 'bully' being the infamous fallen prince, Belphegor. If you haven't guessed, it's the _worse._

"My name's Fran, not 'toad'," he muttered. "What are you doing here anyway, Bel-senpai?" Fran asked, deadpanned. He crossing his arms over his chest and leaning lazily against the trunk of a tree. Then, he looked up.

Above the high forest on a large branch a figure suddenly appeared. Fran stared at an eyeless face with long, bushy blond hair. A wicked grin, as always, streatched mercilessly across the majority of his face. The tiara rested perfectly on the side of his head. He wore black, ripped jeans with long chains dangling on the right side of his body. The blonde had on a stripped, long-sleeved black and red shirt. The sleeves were so long they hung loosely over his fingers as he placed his hands comfortably on his hips.

"Aw, don't be like that. Your happy to see me, aren't you?" Belphegor asked sweetly, before jumping down from the high branch. He landed gracefully on his feet a yard or so away from Fran, who just stared at him with a blank expression. "I warned you, didn't I? My uncute kouhai isn't wearing his froggie hat. Why?" Bel asked. Though the Prince sounded lighthearted now, Fran could feel his eyes narrowing behind his hair.

He slowly approached Fran, silver shoes snapping twigs and crunching leaves the closer he came. Instinctively, Fran took a small step back. Fran's face may not have looked threatened, but inside his heart was racing. Every encounter he had had with Belphegor never turned out pleasant. He was alone with his bully, deep in the woods were no one would even hear if he screamed on the top of his lungs. He had to play it cool. Maybe if he acted like nothing bothered him like he always did Bel would leave him be and pick on someone else.

Fran just shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. Sure enough, the frog hat was off. Fran's fingertips were curled around the rim of the hat in the palm of his right hand, dangling lifelessly by his side.

"Dunno. I just didn't feel like wearing it anymore," he answered simply. Actually, the truth of the matter was, Fran didn't want to continue to be in his Senpai's little games anymore. But Fran wasn't going to admit that.

A small 'tsk' sound came from Belphegor's mouth as his grin faltered. Appearing in front of Fran like the wind itself, the blond clutched the boy's chin, jerking it up so he could get a good look at his face. Fran's grip on the frog hat slipped from the forceful response, falling heavily to the dirty ground. Fran should have seen this coming.

"That's your reason? Put it back on, _now_," Belphegor threatened, his irritation starting to be heard in his tone.

A tense silence filled the air between him. Fran was dangerously calm, considering the situation. The Prince loathed being ignored, and his rebellious actions were starting to make him even more anxious. A couple more seconds passed, and when the Kouhai still refused to speak, he jerked Fran's face to the side to get his attention. Belphegor leaned closer to Fran, snapping in his ear, "Would you just say something, ya damn toad?"

Fran opened his eyes, staring at Belphegor in the corner of his sight. "Something," Fran replied, his lips forming a faint, amused smile.

Wow. Belphegor totally walked into that one.

"Haha, very funny," Belphegor stated sarcastically. Fran could image the roll of his eyes behind the curtain of blond with his smart-ass comment. Fran couldn't help it; it was just in his personality.

"You were boring me to sleep. So, I tuned you and your childish demands out several minutes ago," Fran stated, adding a yawn to prove his point.

"How _un_cute," Belphegor replied, "Now put the damn hat back on."

"Why don't _you_ wear the stupid hat, Bel-senpai?" Fran countered. "It's extremely heavy, and it's always in the way. I don't want to wear it anymore, so I would appreciate it if you would stop threatening me to do so," Fran replied smoothly. He needed to be the more mature one in this situation. Belphegor was his bully, and Fran refused to play the victim. If you don't have fuel for the fire, it would eventually fizzle out, right? Fran only hoped he didn't allow this one to get large enough to be beyond extinguishing.

"Don't turn this back onto me, Froggie," Bel growled. "You don't want to make me angry."

"Or else what, _Fallen Prince?_ Your not very smart, are you? You have absolutely nothing to use against me," Fran replied confidently. He had always been a great student and made it a valid point to stay out of trouble. Belphegor didn't have any dirt on him. There wasn't a thing stopping him from leaving this forest, _right now; _and that's what Fran intended to do.

Fran placed his hand on Belphegor's chest before firmly shoving him away. The Prince stumbled back a couple steps, but quickly regained his balance. Belphegor blinked behind his thick bangs, before quickly looking back up to see what was going on. His eyes narrowed at Fran. The Kouhai was already walking off, not even bothering to look back or say a word. This irritated Belphegor to no end.

"Where the fuck do you think your going?"

Fran merely waved a hand over his shoulder at his question, and then replied simply, "Back to my old life before you came in and screwed it up."

Fran didn't even take two more steps until he felt something latch onto his arm. The next thing he knew, he was pulled down to the ground like the Earth itself was trying to suck him under. A sudden weight could be felt on his torso, and when Fran opened his eyes, Belphegor's face was in front of him, _again_. His legs rested on either side of his waist, and his wrists were held down forcefully so he couldn't escape. Fran hated this feeling of being contained. Fran struggled under Belphegor, but no matter how hard he tried to break loose, the fingers that wrapped around his wrists only constricted him further. This guy just didn't give up.

"I'm the best damn thing that ever happened to you, and you know it."

"In what universe? Bel-senpai, your _delusional_," Fran droned.

An animalistic growl rumbled in the back of Belphegor's throat. Oh shit. Fran had pushed him too far.

Everything that happened after that was almost like a blur.

Belphegor released one of his wrists as his hand slid up the side of Fran's body. Tied around in a neat bow Fran had a foam green cloth wrapped around his neck, as if he was trying to hide something. Immediately, Belphegor grabbed the loose cloth, pulling on one of the sides as it quickly slipped undone. Fran didn't even have time to react. His eyes widened as a sinister smirk slowly spread across Belphegor's face. Fran watched as his precious cloth was thrown into the air and tossed to the side. He tried to reach for it, but Belphegor just held his arm down again.

A large white batch was on the side of Fran's neck, a white blod of tried crimson liquid in the middle. It was taped carefully on every corner, sequred so it wouldn't fall off. Belphegor's fingers curled under the bandage, watching Fran's face from under his hair.

_Finally, _a reaction.

Fran squirmed under his touch, his light eyes sending him a message of small pleading.

Belphegor was pleased. He was in control now and Fran knew it. Even if Fran didn't want him to do it, was silently begging him not to, Belphegor was going to do it anyway. He was far too angry not to.

"You wanted proof, didn't you? Proof that I owned you? Well here it is. Here's my dirt-" Belphegor ripped off the patch in a single, swift movement. Fran grimanced at the spark of pain, biting his lip to keep himself from crying out. This wasn't fair. This wasn't right. Why did Belphegor persist to do these things to him?

"S-stop it," Fran whispered, avoiding Belphegor's gaze, though as always, the blonde ignored him. A series of deep, sharp bite marks could be seen across his neck. Scabs could be seen, as well as dark hickeys all the way down to his collar bone. The sight only made Belphegor's grin widen.

"How wonderful~ They haven't disappeared yet. Doesn't that make you happy, Froggie?" Belphegor smirked, looking back at Fran's face for a reaction. Any reaction. Bel loved it when he could make his Kouhai show emotion.

Fran's face was twitching a bit, trying his best to stay calm and collected. He hadn't snapped yet. Maybe if Belphegor pushed him a little farther. . .

Belphegor brushed Fran's light green hair out of his face with his fingertips. The blonde leaned forward, resting his forehead against the captured frog, his smirk still in place. "Do you remember _now? _he whispered seductively, his hot breath smoothing against Fran's rosy cheeks. Belphegors light touch trailed down Fran's neck, paying special attention to the marks he created himself earlier.

Fran couldn't help but jump and squirm at the flirtatious contact. He had to swallow back a wince as the blonde's fingers trailed down his injured neck. The sensitive spots on his skin stung and pain throbbed under his pale flesh. His heart was racing uncontrollably through his chest, every touch Belphegor's fingers lingered starting to tingle.

Fran still didn't understand it; he never could. How could Belphegor make him feel so... so _good? _What was it about him that made Fran's knees weak and his will to keep fighting disolve? He had always been fighting for survival. Always.

But their relationship had always been this way, even in their first encounter.

* * *

_Flashback_

_First Day of School_

_It's cold... _Fran thought as his fingers laced around the car door handle and swung it open. The frigid morning air filled the car to greet him, brushing against the boy's pale skin. His body shivered at the contact. He pursed his lips white turning his head towards the driver's seat.

A man sat in the front seat, hands casually resting on the steering wheel. His midnight blue hair was slicked back in a small, neat ponytail. He wore a black and white suit, an expensive silver watch gleaming on his right wrist. The man was Fran's personally driver and butler, waiting patiently for his "Young Master" to climb out of the limo and be on his way. Even though it seemed great to have a butler, half of the time Fran's didn't even act like one.

"Mukuro," Fran addressed. The man in the front seat turned slightly to show he was listening, a small smile lingering on his lips, as always. Fran could spot the black patch over his right eye. Even though the man didn't turn to directly look at him, Fran knew his butler was still listening. "It's far too cold outside. I will attend school tomorrow. So please, drive me home."

For the last couple of years Fran had been home schooled, traveling the world and sucking in as much information as he could. His parents' were rich, after all; he had the connections to be shipped off to whatever city, state, or even country his parents' thought he could learn something useful. His studies involved weapons, human emotions and how to manipulate them, as well as the hacking of electronics. Of course he knew the basics such as math and science, but at a more advanced level. He had never learned in a classroom setting or had to socialize with people when it wasn't necessary. He didn't want to either.

But then why the sudden change of pace?

Apparently, this school wasn't like any other; it wasn't even known to exist. Only the best of the best were admitted, and usually the students either came from a wealthy family or were considered genius', if not both. The school's walls were hidden within a huge forest on private property, tucked away from the outside world. Several paths ran though the land, but most lead to a dead end. Students' had to have a special map with them in order to even find the school, as well as a special uniform and documents to even be let inside.

Even though this school seemed to be 'special' and know what they were doing, Fran was still unconvinced. He didn't want to go to any public setting - including this one - and he would do anything to keep him from doing so.

Mukuro couldn't help but let out a laugh of "Kufufu" at the boy's request. Fran ignored his laugh of amusement, impassive green eyes still staring out the ajar door, watching the endless rows of trees surrounding them. "Aren't you funny. If your father found out I let you ditch again he would surely have my head."

"He doesn't have to find out. I have cash with me, so you can be relieved for the day and do as you please with _this-_" Fran pulled out a credit card from his back pocket, moving it back and forth in the air. He would sweet talk Mukuro if he had to; it wouldn't be the first time. His butler was greedy – even if he didn't like to admit it. Money always peeked Mukuro's interest.

"Hm..." Mukuro seemed to be considering this as he looked at the platinum card through the front mirror. After a few moments he shook his head, still smiling. "Tempting, but I don't think so. As much as I'd love to help you out, your father is a scary man. I don't want to piss him off again," Mukuro murmured thoughtfully. "Now hop out, squirt, you're going to be late."

Fran's lips turned down into a small frown. He was almost sure Mukuro would cave in too.

Sighing in defeat, Fran picked up his brown leather bag and slowly climbed out of the car, shutting the shiny black door behind him. Fran muttered under his breath, something along the lines of "stupid pineapple head".

Before Fran could even think to change his mind, his 'loyal' butler was already driving off without him. A hand waved at Fran out of the unrolled window, but the gesture was not returned. Fran stared after the car until it was out of sight, engulfed by the forest.

Fran let out a gentle sigh. He tossed his head back, looking up to admire the fluffy clouds that passed by ever so slowly in the sky. A gust of wind blew by and danced in Fran's hair effortlessly, kissing his neck. The yellow, red, and brown leaves danced in the breeze, slowly fluttering to the ground. A few birds could be heard chirping in the distance.

This forest was pretty quiet. Peaceful. Fran wouldn't mind getting lost in this place, far away from the world where he could never be found. Life would be so much simpler then; more livable.

Fran's feet started moving on their own, walking on the gravel path with his eyes still glued to the sky. He felt like his body was on autopilot, functioning on its own while his mind drifted into his own thoughts. He didn't have to worry about getting lost though; the layout of the land and its paths were already etched to memory.

_One-two. One-two._

How long had he been walking?

_One-two. One-two._

Still, nothing.

_One-two. One._

Fran stopped.

A mist started to roll in around him, becoming thicker by the second. If Fran were to try and look at his hand in front of his face, he wouldn't be able to. The air became colder, denser. The chirps of the birds abruptly disappeared. Something wasn't right.

Fran stood there for a minute. Two minutes. Nothing but eerie silence.

Until, finally, he heard the rustling of bushes to his side.

In a single, swift movement his hand was already in his bag, pulling out two kunai and throwing them in the direction he heard something shift. Someone made a small grunt and a curse under their breath, before the sudden presence vanished. Someone had been spying on him. Why hadn't he noticed sooner?

Fran straightened his back and cleared his throat, before stating the sky, "I am Fran, a student at Varia Academy. I should be in the school's records. I also have the school's admission sheet and my own ID card with the school." Fran rummaged through his bag until he felt the items and held them up in the air.

At first, nothing happened. After a couple seconds the mist seemed to slowly dissipate. A couple more and the sound of the birds could be heard again. Fran let out a sight of relief.

It was no wonder very few ever made it to the school. His father had informed him about illusions in the forest to lead unwelcome visitors astray. Somehow, the mist was conducted by the school, though Fran didn't entirely understand how. Whomever was following him must have been a part of the staff at the school, ready to attack if necessary. Either that, or someone who may cause problems in the future.

With the mist cleared, Fran turned his head towards the bush that had been rustling earlier. Yep, whoever had been there before was now long gone. The strange things was, only one of the two kunai Fran threw were embedded into the trunk of the tree. Why was one missing?

Fran decided to shrug it off. He made his way to the trunk of the tree and grabbed the kunai before dropping it back into his bag, as well as his paperwork and ID card. Noticing a hidden path beyond the tree he followed it. After a couple minutes through the series of never ending trees he finally arrived to an open field.

Two different schools could be seen. One the left was a large building made of white marble, concealed inside a large black gate. A sign could be seen that said "Vongola Academy" in bold, black letters. On the other side was a building similar to the other, but instead of marble white the school was a smooth, sparkling midnight color with a white gate.

Fran took in a deep breath, and stared at the school to his right. Instead of the school being an elegant marble white the school was built in a mysterious, sparkling midnight color. A white gate was in front of the school, the exact opposite colors of the Vongolian one. Well, this was his stop.

_Varia Academy, huh? I'm not impressed._

He finally made it without getting himself killed or lost. That was a good sign. Now was the hard part; trying to survive his first day of school. This was going to be an interesting day.

Fran managed to get on the school grounds smoothly without any issues. He scanned his ID card through a little slot at the school gate, spoke to an operator, then the gates swung open for him to go through.

Everything else was like a blur.

Several paths were laid out in front of him that lead all over the school. It seemed one could be easily lost if they took a wrong turn. Beautiful trees and vivid flowers of all colors bloomed by the walkways, making the school come to life. A majestic fountain was in the middle of the courtyard, pearl benches surrounding it in the middle of nature. Perhaps this is where the student's ate lunch? That is, if they didn't kill each other first.

What was Fran to expect? This was a school for _assassins. _This may have seemed like the "good life", but you could only enjoy it before you were dead. Fran had learned first hand that things that seem great on the outside really weren't all it seemed to be. Like the saying goes, "the grass is always greener on the other side".

For as long as Fran could remember he had been training for this. All those years of hell, all that time spent studying and practicing perfection, he hoped it was worth it. This school would be just like his every day life; a thin line of rotting in the ground or having blood on your hands. The world wasn't as beautiful of a place people made it out to be. Their were always people pulling the strings. Always.

Fran was nothing more than a killing machine. It was obvious why he was admitted here. Little did students' know, at the end of the term for their special "examination" students' were forced into a battle royal against members of the Vongola and Varia school district. It was a sick, brutal game; but all the more fun for the higher ups. It wasn't play time anymore for kids, just amusement to the puppet masters. Your friend today could be an enemy tomorrow. Only the best of skills and intellect made it through this place. If Fran managed to survive this environment he would be able to meet with the powerful leaders who conducted this sick game, as well as get anything he wished for.

But that was the thing. Fran didn't have dreams. He didn't want anything; couldn't want anything. This was just what his life had ever been; a fight for survival. Nothing else mattered. Friends brought you down. Emotions got in the way. It may have been a dull existence but at least it was livable.

A doll, that's all he was. Nothing more than a doll... a dol-

_Pitter patter. Pitter patter._

His thinking was interrupted as he entered the glass double doors of the school. He glanced up to hear footsteps. They were coming towards him. Quickly. Was someone running? Why?

Suddenly, a figure rounded the corner. Their head was turned around, snickering deviously over their shoulder and not paying attention to where they were going.

What happened next went by in a radiant, sparkling sensation with a blur of black, red, and a hint of yellow.

_Thud!_

The next thing Fran knew he had fallen onto his backside, a jolt of pain through his rear and his head. He winced slightly, the wind temporarily knocked out of him.

The other had been running by and crashed into the daydreaming boy before Fran had a chance to react. They butted skulls painfully, and Fran was knocked down to the ground. Fran had closed his eyes tight and braced himself by lifted his arms at the last second to lighten the hit.

_What in the world did I just hit? _Fran thought with a small frown. He tried to life himself back up, but couldn't find the strength to. He fell back heavily to the marble tile. _Okay, I know I wasn't that heavy before, nor am I that weak. Could I really have been caught off guard?_

Slowly, Fran's eyes fluttered open. He was welcomed with the harsh sunlight refracting through the windows and blinded his view, as well as a headache of a gleam from something shiny. He squinted his emerald eyes and raised a hand to shield himself from the harshness of the sun's rays, before finally seeing what he had run into.

Fran blinked. The world seemed to come to a complete stop. Everything in the background dissolved into nothing. The frantic shouts behind the mysterious figure faded away. The bell ringing through the school didn't even register in his mind. All that could be heard was the shallowness of his own breathing, and his heart skipping in his chest for the first time in his life. Fran was so distracted, only fixated on one, single thing.

_Beautiful... _he thought as his breath hitched in his throat. He couldn't help but feel the air leave his lungs as he stared at the being in front of him.

Bushy, dirty blonde hair that covered most of his face. A mini-tiara or crown on the left side of his head. Rosy cheeks on his flushed face, and a great, defined body; far more muscular than his own lean one.

The blonde-headed boy had a look of slight surprise on his face, as well as Fran's own. They both stared at each other with wide, bewildered eyes for several moments.

But it wasn't his strong features that caught his attention, nor the frame of his body against his. It was those _eyes_ he saw.

He had only a glimpse of the pair as they bore into his, if only for just a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. They couldn't snap out of his mind.

_Blue. A beautiful royal blue._ Fran thought, breath taken. Those eyes said it all.

His gaze's surfaces were filled with loyalty and power, but the depths, deep inside his dilated iris' were painfully similar to his. Loneliness. Despair. Lost. The kind like his own that craved attention. To be noticed; the ache for someone to finally understand. The familiar sight made Fran's stomach twist painfully.

Why? Why were his emotions rushing back to him? Why was he feeling again?

For the first time he felt panic. He tried to think, he really did, but his mind turned to putty. His eyes dared to break eye contact, quickly scanning down to notice their_ position. _A blush crept on Fran's own cheeks.

Fran had his right hand behind him to keep himself - and the new weight - propped up and halfway off the ground. His other hand was shielding the light from his eyes that escaped the glass doors. Both of the blonde's arms were on the ground behind Fran to have tried to catch himself from the fall. Their bodies across each other, molded nearly perfectly as their chests barely grazed, their faces barely inches apart. The blonde's legs were on either side of his fragile body. The blonde's beautiful eyes' were now hidden by his long hair once again, snapping Fran out of his trance.

Fran blinked, before his eyes quickly darted away uncomfortably.

The moment was gone.

Fran's heart slowed as he took a couple seconds of self-calming, getting his overflowing emotions back under wraps. He looked up at the eyeless face. Fran cocked his head to the side innocently, an oblivious expression in place, followed by a small, "Umm..?"

Immediately, the boy swiftly pushed himself back up from the ground and recoiled back, clenching his fists at his sides.

"_Dammit!_ That hurt, watch where you're going!" he exclaimed, rubbing his injured head with the palm of his hand. Fran could feel his intensely hardened gaze from beneath his golden locks.

Fran stayed on the ground, looking a bit dumbfounded by the sudden fast motion and loud attitude, his mind still in a small haze. There goes his first impression.

"Sorry..?" was all the poor boy could say, followed by a small shrug. This action made the blonde jump a bit, surprised by the sudden flat tone and curious eyes that were set on him. He quickly changed his expression to grin from ear-to-ear.

"Yeah, you'd _better_ be sorry! I'll make you regret ever bumping into me. Maybe then you'll actually watch where you're going next time," he hissed with a profound, smug smirk; a mischievous glint within his hidden eyes. "Ya see, I _own_ this school and everyone in it -"

_Great, a control freak, _ Fran thought bitterly

"- And you, messing with me, I guarantee I will make your miserable, peasant life a living hel-"

"Actually, the owners' of this school are both the leaders of the Vongola and Varia, currently. You're just a student that attends here. And second, you're the one that ran into _me_," he explained in his unfeeling tone as he pulled himself to his feet, brushing away any unwanted dirt off his uniform casually. "You must not be able to see very well from that mess of hair you call 'bangs' that's on your face. Why don't I help you?" Fran suggested and reached out a small, pale hand forward to do so. His hand was almost immediately caught by the other in a single movement, clenching his wrist to make it immobile.

"What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" the blonde snapped, his eyes narrowing distastefully under his bangs. Fran just stared at him dumbly with blank eyes. Wow, he couldn't believe he found this loud-mouthed guy 'interesting'.

Suddenly, the blonde yanked his hand and Fran lose his balance, making him fall forward. Then, a hand touched his chest, and his body was shoved unpleasantly into the black sparkling wall. Fran winced slightly at the rough gesture, but managed to lift his eyes to stare at the angered blond patiently.

"Okay, listen here ya_ little shit_," he growled, though Fran just cut in with his emotionless and unfazed tone.

"Actually, the name I go by is Fra-"

"I don't give a fuck what your name is!" he exclaimed, grinding his teeth together to try and regain his control. It wasn't working. "Look, rule number one, you do not, _ever,_ touch the hair! Got it? Second, do _not_ speak to me in that cocky, unneeded, _smart-ass _tone of yours, or I swear-"

"Or you swear what?" Fran asked with a raised brow, questioning his authority. The blonde might as well had started fuming in anger, smoke coming out of his ears.

Despite his size Fran wasn't one to back down from a fight. He would say what was on his mind without mercy. He was known for making sarcastic remarks and comments to piss people off. If it ever came down to a fight Fran could defend himself. But this guy wasn't worth the effort. Was everyone in this school going to be rash, hot-tempered idiots?

"Look, _Toad_, I'm _feared_ in this school for a reason. If you don't shut your trap now I-"

"I don't really see why. You're not that scary, after all. Sure, you yell a lot, are ill-tempered, and have a big mouth, maybe even know how to throw your firsts around, but - excuse my French - you don't have the _balls_ to back it up," Fran stated. His eyes then scanned down a bit from his face to his pants, before a gentle smirk came to surface. "Literally," he added, the blonde's cheeks visibly flushing.

"Yeah? Well I guess you will get to see then now, huh? You little-" he began and tightened his grip on the boy's shirt collar, able to lift the lightweight boy in the air effortlessly as his feet dangled in the air. A balled-up fist was pulled back, ready to land a blow on Fran's 'angelic' face. But, then something stopped him.

The voices that had been following the blonde drew closer. The mysterious male froze. His head whipped around into the direction the voices were coming from, before cursing audibly under his breath.

Fingertips slowly uncurled around Fran's shirt and he took a small step back. Fran landed gracefully to his feet and watch his antagonist carefully in case he were to make another move on him.

Though now, the blonde's smirk was back in place, as dangerous and unpredictable as ever. Out of no where, he placed both of his hands behind his back and pulled out a frog hat right before Fran's eyes. His mischievous grin seeming to widen a bit - if that was even possible.

In a single movement, the heavy frog hat was in placed on the Fran's mint-hair. The curiosity in Fran's eyes deepened. Fran rested his hands on the toad hat as it was slipping off so it wouldn't fall, feeling his neck already start to strain.

"What is this?" Fran asked, dumbfounded.

"That, my uncute kouhai, is something you may _never_ take off. If you do so and I happen to find out, then you will regret it. That much I will make sure of," he warned with a snicker, though young Fran's expression still looked as confused as ever.

"Why not? Besides, I will have to take it off sometime. What about when I take a shower, or change my clothes? I very well cannot be wearing this thing. Besides, it looks stupi-"

"Then I suppose you better be sure I don't find out," the blond smirked, his eyes narrowing behind his locks dangerously enough to let a gentle shiver make its way up Fran's spine.

Taking a small step forward, he latched two fingers under Fran's pale chin, and lifted his face up so that they were at eye level. Fran couldn't find the will to protest."You'd better watch your back, Toad, because everywhere you go, even when you're in the midst of slumber, I could be there... just waiting ever so patiently for your guard to go down, before I take my revenge," he warned lowly, his cool breath hitting Fran's face. An 'Ushishishi' chuckle left the blonde's his lips. Despite the threat, Fran's barely-seen, mocking smirk didn't slip from his face.

"Goodness, I never knew you could be such a _stalker_," he commented innocently. The blonde just grunted in response, irritated.

"Better watch out, because the next time we meet, I wont be letting you get the slip so easily," he stated seriously, too serious for comfort. "Besides, it wouldn't change the fact that you've just been marked," he said lowly, just enough for the two to hear. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before the mysterious blond finally released Fran's chin, and he ran off, snickering out the double doors.

From behind the corner a male and a female came dashing down the hallway after him. One was an older male with long, silver hair. The other was a sweet-looking girl, possibly around his age.

"VOII! Belphegor! Get your ass back here, you rotten kid!" the male demanded. "Don't make me call that mother of yours!"

"I don't think I will, stupid shark! And go ahead, you can all kiss my ass!" was the response by the one known as 'Belphegor', followed by another "Ushishishi" laugh. He stuck his tongue over his shoulder at them childishly, darting across the garden area.

"Dammit," 'Stupid shark' muttered with a groan. He ran out of the doors after the mischievous blonde. Belphegor took a sharp turn around the fountain, before disappearing from Fran's sight.

So, his antagonists' name was Belphegor then, huh? At least Fran could now add a name to a face.

The girl beside him wore an obviously worried expression plain as day on her face, looking off where Belphegor had been moments ago. Finally, she noticed Fran's movement and blinked, turning her head towards him. "Oh! Sorry, I was staring off into space again," she smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I-I'm Chrome, Chrome Dokuro."

Fran just stared blankly at her, not saying anything at all. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Their was also something else gnawing away at his conscious.

This girl... she was wearing a different uniform than his.

While she wore a lavender undershirt under her amethyst vest Fran's was white with a black one. She wore a pure white jacket with her uniform while Fran wore none. While he wore black, doll-like shorts with pockets that stopped just above his knees (kind of like knickerbockers. Pfft. 'knickerbockers'...) she had on a white skirt with a purple butterfly design on the left side of it. In every way her outfit was completely contradicted to his.

She was a Vongolian student. He had to be weary.

"U-Um, s-so what's your name?" she asked, stuttering when she talked. She managed a gentle, shy smile directed towards him. Fran's eyes just narrowed. This girl was his enemy. No matter how harmless she seemed he wasn't buying it.

He finally decided to graze her with an answer.

"Fran," he droned, glancing away in disinterest.

Chrome looked slightly hurt by his lack of interest in her, but managed to say, "Oh, n-nice to meet you."

A small, awkward silence passed between them. Chrome shifted around on her feet uncomfortably, but stared at Fran in the corner of her lavender eyes. But it wasn't so much _Fran _she was staring at, it was the _hat _ on his head that seemed to be staring back at her.

Fran raised a brow. "What?" he asked.

She blinked and looked quickly away from the frog hat, playing with her thumbs to distract herself. "W-well, it's just that, um..." she hesitated. "N-never mind! It's nothing to worry about, really."

Fran was suspicious, but decided not to press further. He continued to keep a silent watch of her in the corner of his eyes until 'Shark' came back.

He barely made it through the doors, panting loudly from his run. Chrome jumped to help him, offering to get him a glass of water and help him walk.

"W-what happened?" she asked, concerned.

'Shark' growled, muttering things under his breath neither Fran or Chrome could comprehend. "Damned brat gave me the slip," he finally said through his grumbles.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Squalo! It's all my fault. If I hadn't asked him to be a part of the council..." her voice trailed, but Squalo just sighed heavily and shook his head, waving a hand of dismissal in the air.

"Don't worry about it, Chrome. Now as for _you-" _Squalo's silver eyes turned towards Fran, then up to the hat. Was it really that distracting? Fran could already tell it was going to cause problems. "- You do realize hat's are against school policy, right?"

"Of course," Fran replied non-nonchalantly. "I did read the entire school hand-book before I arrived here, after all. I would take it off it I could, but I can't. I 'm not allowed to," Fran replied vaguely, his gaze tearing from their eyes to stare at the black and white checkered floor, lost in thought.

Squalo and Chrome stared a worried glance at each other, before shooting Fran their most dazzling, fake smiles they could conjure up. Chrome nodded quickly, and said, "Sure! We understand, right Mr. Squalo? You can make an exception, can't you?" Chrome asked, pouting a bit at Squalo to influence him.

Squalo sighed and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket. Scribbling down a small note, he handed it to Fran. "I'll have to take it up with the boss, but I'm sure he won't mind. Just don't keep any weapons in the hat that are against the school rules. The last thing we need is another kid bringing a bomb," Squalo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That really was a huge mess."

Squalo started to walk off ahead of them. Chrome made her way next to Fran, pointing to the note. "You'll be fine as long as you have that. Just show it to a teacher if they start to ask questions. Although... I-I know it's none of my business, but things would probably be a lot easier if you kept it off." Fran didn't quite understand what she was implying, but by the look in her eyes he had a feeling she was talking about something more than just the stupid hat getting in the way.

"I'll be fine," Fran replied confidently.

Chrome managed a small nod. She glanced around a bit, before murmuring quietly, just enough for the two to hear, "O-okay. But, please, just be careful." Her voice quivered a bit, and she still managed a shaky smile.

Fran cocked his head to the side but managed to nod once before Chrome and Fran caught up to Squalo and they escorted him to class without another word. As he trailed a little behind him Fran's shiny black doll-like heels clicked across the tile floor, trying to lift up the frog hat every now and then to keep the heavy thing balanced. Every so often Chrome and Squalo shared nervous glances, but Fran didn't seem to notice as the boy was lost in his thoughts.

Fran couldn't forget those alluring blue eyes he had seen before, along with the blonde's words. Unanswered questions couldn't help but swim through his head.

What did Belphegor mean Fran was marked? Why was he targeted of all people? Why did everyone seem to fearful towards the blonde? Was Belphegor serious? Or was this all some joke to pick on the new kid? Why could he feel his bottled emotions start to overflow around him? And the greatest question of all... _when would he see him again?_

All Fran did know was that he would have to remember the name "Belphegor". After all, he was his new bully at school. Mukuro would get a kick out of that. It's not every day you get to tell your butler you have a new 'hater' on your first day of school.

This was going to be an interesting year.

* * *

_Back to the Present_

Belphegor's lips pressed to Fran's again, rough and wanting. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. Fran started to thrash against him, his arms and legs moving around under him wildly.

Fran hated this feeling. He was trapped. Submissive. He couldn't play the victim. He had to break free.

"Stop it!" Fran screamed on the top of his lungs.

The blond blinked at the sudden shriek. Fran took his opportunity at the look of surprise on his face and rolled out from under Belphegor, pulling himself back onto his feet. His heart was still racing, dirt on the back of his uniform.

Fran turned to Belphegor, shooting him a glare. "You don't own me, you never will. Try all you like, but you're just wasting you time," he stated firmly. Fran picked up his school bag quickly, sharing one last glance at the blonde before muttering, "Good-bye."

Before the blonde could do anything about it, Fran ran off quickly through the forest, disappearing within the deep white mist.

Belphegor stared after him, a frown on his face. He stood there momentarily, thinking about what his uncute kouhai had said to him. He signed heavily, moving his hand down to the ground. He picked up the light green scarf in his hands and pressed it to his nose, inhaling Fran's intoxicating scent. He sighed contently. Soft and sweet; just like his lips.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed a large green frog. Belphegor's frown deepend.

_He forgot his hat._ he thought briefly before chuckling lightly to himself, his voice echoing through the forest once more. If Fran really thought he was going to give up so easily on him, he was highlymistaken. Belphegor always got what he wanted, _always._ This time would be no different. He would do everything in his power to make Fran truly be his.

"I swear, the next time we cross paths, my uncute kouhai, I will make you fall so damn hard for me that it's gonna hurt. I will make you mine," he vowed with a snicker, "Ushishishi~"

And a couple minutes later, the Prince could be seen exiting the thick, green forest. A wicked grin was plastered on his face, and a light green scarf in the palm of his hand as it flowed in the wind. He also had a hat - a frog hat - held firmly in his hand, hidden eyes filled with nothing but utmost determination.

* * *

Tell me what you think? Please Review! c:

To be continued. . .


	2. Sinful Beauty

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

* * *

**Marked**

**By: x-LittleMissAlice-x**

**Chapter 2 - Sinful Beauty**

_Belphegor..._

Fran couldn't help but think of that name over and over again as it rang through his head like a magical melody, nor could he forget what had happened earlier that day within the forest.

His words. The silky voice that caressed over his ear. That flaming touch that smoothed over his tender flesh. And most of all, his wet lips that clashed onto his so forcibly, so_ wantingly_. It was enough to get the usually emotionless and unfazed boy to have a light, pink blush on the edge of his cheeks, and the insides of his stomach flip and flutter helplessly.

_Why can't I get that guy out of my mind? What is it about him that makes me so... so..._

Fran was now at home in his large estate, safely in the custody of his locked room. It was getting dark outside; the bright sun slowly drift down and the misty sky was being developed by a swirl of pink, purple and an enchanting orange that seemed to dance together in a perfect union. Fran was lying on his back lifelessly. His legs spread out slightly and his arms rested beside him like a motionless doll. Glassy eyes were staring up on the ceiling silently, a blank expression on his face as he rested on the bed. He was still wearing his school uniform - the doll-like black sweater over his long-sleeved, thin white shirt, his black knickerbockers that stopped at his knees and high white socks. His shoes were neatly placed together beside his bed so that they were ready for the morning to come.

The child's room looked _adorable;_ just like it suited him. The bed sheets were white with dark green polka-dots. There were two bunks to his bed, one on the bottom a couple inches from the floor, and one on the top, placed a little bit to the upper-right of the other one. The wooden floor was a pure white, and a green patch of carpet that looked like a lily-pad rested in the middle of the large room. Two dark green drawers were directly under his bed, with lime green handles that looked like small clovers to open it for placing shoes and such. Directly next to his bed was the opposite, a closet about his height, and also holding up the other bed above him, lime green with dark green clovers for the handles. On the other side of his bed, the left side, there was a large, door-like way that lead to his own personal bathroom, as well as a double cabinet next to the upper bed and all the way to the white, high ceiling.

Across from the bed and on the other side of the room were numerous white shelves for placing books and other belongings in the bookcase, though textbooks filled all the racks, high-level ones for college and high school students, along with thick books to read for 'fun'. On the complete other side of the room was a simple lime green desk, with a white box full of pencils, organized papers already out and a ruler ready to be used. It was obvious the little kouhai was very organized, liked things to be in control, and also that his room was as innocent as his mind.

Though the_ most _adorable thing in his room was the little froggie plushie that rested on one of the bookshelves on top of his favorite book, a picture book, and the only one he secretly owned - _A Frog's Life_. His beloved 'parents' were going to take that book away, though Fran had to assure them that it was, indeed, educational. Stating that it had the cycle of a frog; from being an egg, to a tadpole, then growing its hind legs, then its other ones, and finally becoming an adult frog. Ever since he had read that book, he had been obsessed with frogs, lily-pads, _everything_ about them. Which was kind of ironic seeing how Belphegor had given him a frog hat to wear... Speaking of that hat, he wasn't wearing it. . . Oh yeah, he left it back there in that forest, didn't he?

_...so breath-taken? _his thought finished with an uncertain, small frown.

A loud knock sounded on the other side of the child's lime-green door, but Fran didn't make a move answer it. He waited a moment in silence before finally stating, "Come in," in a flat tone.

The person behind the door did so, slowly swinging it open for a rather tall, raven-black haired and mismatched eyed butler to appear before him. He stared across the room at Fran, though he didn't make a move to step inside the perimeter.

"Young Master, dinner will be finished soon," he announced, his gloved fingers not leaving the diamond-shaped, crystal door-handle on the side he stood on. "Your mother and father have come back from their business trip and would like you to attend dinner," his butler, Mukuro, informed. Fran's form tensed significantly at the mention of his parents. He rolled over, his back facing his butler as he stared at the white walls with a hollow gaze.

"I'm not hungry, Mukuro. Please leave now," he stated emotionlessly. Mukuro looked hesitant, but he nodded in response and bowed respectfully.

"Very well, Young Master. Call me if you need anything. You know where to find me." Mukuro looked at Fran a moment longer before closing the door with a small 'click' behind him.

Fran let out a heavy sigh, one that sounded relieved. He rolled back over to stare at the door that had been opened moments ago. Fran curled himself into a tight ball form and clutched his knees to his chest. His mind started to drift off once again.

_I'm suffocating,_ he thought briefly and swallowed hard, finding it more of a struggle to find air. He wrapped a hand around his throat to keep his breathing under control. His throat hurt and felt scratchy. He had never yelled at someone so loudly in his life, but he was angry at the blond and didn't know anything else he could do to make him stop. The thoughts of the old memory that seemed to have happened moments ago made him shudder.

_Fran's eyes widened as he started to do more than squirm at the sudden kiss, thrashing until he finally broke off from the other's lips he had smothered him with. He placed both of his fragile hands on Belphegor's chest to push himself off of him, desperate to get away. "Ugh, stop it..!" Fran snapped, his tone loud and strong. Birds squawked from the trees of the forest as his voice rung through, gliding in swarms through the air in a frenzy. His usually empty face twisted with irritation, his gaze of deep anger burning into the blonde's. _

_Everything, he wanted it to stop: the seductive touching, the soothing whispers, the kissing. It had to stop now... before it was too late. . ._

_It hurts too much to be here. I feel like I'm drowning, getting deeper and deeper into my own personal dark ocean. Blue. A beautiful sapphire, a royal blue... his burning eyes,_ he couldn't help think with a gentle sigh. Perhaps he was drowning in those eyes, _his_ eyes, slowly but surely falling into that man's grasp.

Tch, that was ridiculous! He just sounded like some idiotic little girl, thinking about him all the time. What was Fran turning into? Besides, Fran was the one in control now, for the time being anyway. So he should just forget about what happened in the forest all together, including Belphegor. What made that arrogant blonde so special, anyway?

Clutching a nearby pillow, he held onto it tightly. He buried his flushed face from the entire world, sinking into it with a soft groan. A couple of moments later, the innocent Fran had drifted off into a gentle slumber, dreaming soundly of their second encounter. . .

* * *

_Flashback_

_Second Encounter_

_They're staring... _Fran thought dully.

Fran was now inside the classroom, having been escorted to class by Squalo and Chrome after the whole 'I'm-Belphegor-and-I-shall-get-my-revenge-for-running-into-me' incident.

It was a rather small room compared to the enormous school, consisting of 25 desks or so at even spaces away from each other, and in rows. Students of all kinds were in their seats, staring silently in awe, anxiously, up at Fran. The mint-haired boy's unfilled green eyes scanned the faces, a second of attention for each of them. His eyes nearly didn't register them, as if they weren't even there in the first place. Great. He was right; there really wasn't a living soul in this classroom that would serve of any interest. When the fighting came around most wouldn't even survive the first round. They were all invisible to Fran, _nobodies, _thus they weren't worth a fraction of his time.

The teacher in front of the classroom wrote Fran's name down on the screeching, deep moss green chalkboard with the dusty white stick. Each letter she wrote down, each stroke on the board made Fran want to cringe, though he tried to refrain from doing so. Instead, he endured the loud noise. Thank goodness his name was short!

Everyone else was staring at the hat - the _toad_ hat - with wide, curious eyes.

Once the teacher in the front of the room was finally finished writing his name, she smiled triumphantly and turned to motion to Fran to take an empty seat, third from the back and next to the window. At the gesture, Fran walked calmly by and brushed past his classmates, a blank expression on his face. Their eyes followed him silently and stayed latched onto the frog's googly eyes as if it were an enemy, or something to be wary of.

Calmly taking a seat in his instructed spot, he sat there silently for a moment, before immediately raising his pale arm in the air. The teacher in front of the class blinked her bright gray eyes, though soon smiled softly. "Yes, Fran? What is it?" she asked patiently.

"Is it customary in your country to wear these hats when coming to school?" he asked obliviously, which earned a laugh and numerous giggles from the class, though most of them sounded... nervous. He cocked his head to the side slightly, with a rather confused expression, though didn't say anything more. He propped his head up with his hand, and stared out the window beside him with his innocent jade-colored eyes, staring the day away as he awaited the next couple periods to end...

_So, this is school? _he thought briefly, before staring off into space once again.

_What is that annoyingly loud sound? _he thought with a gentle frown.

The bell had rung from the ceiling above, signaling the time for periods to be over and for lunch break to start. He sighed lightly to himself, scooting his chair back on the tile floor with a 'squeek' as he slowly stood up to his feet. His eyes turned towards the door, watching most of his classmates try to scramble out of it at once.

Glancing to his side he noticed a group of students were still in the classroom. A couple girls were staring at him, giggling madly. The boys just seemed to shoot glares at Fran's disinterested look he had since he had arrived at the school. When Fran turned to stare at them back, the whole bunch seemed to jump and whisper something frantically to each other, along the lines of "let's get outta here". Then, quickly looking from his eyes, to his froggie hat, then avoiding both their gazes all together, they scurried off out the door with the others and went on their way to lunch.

Fran didn't understand it.

Ever since he arrived at this school it seemed _everyone_ had been avoiding him. Sure, he wasn't the most approachable kind of person, but it's not like he was going to bite or anything. But what was he suppose to expect? School was made to go and put up with 7 or 8 hours, learn stuff, and then go home, and after you finally went to bed, you would start it all over again 5 days a week. Surviving through this, now that was the real challenge.

After waiting a few minutes to make sure the hallways were cleared, Fran too walked out the doors of the classroom. He made his way down the marble, sparkling hallway, his emotionless expression back on his face as he walked about aimlessly. His short heels clicked loudly across the black and white checkered tile floors, staring at the windowless hallway and ground silently to count all the tiles. Then, he turned the corner and soon was in front of a peculiar black door. He glanced up at the tall frame, cocking his head to the side curiously, before extending a hand and turning the handle to the door, pushing it open to see its contents.

"Stairs," he muttered. A single spiral, marble staircase was in the middle of an empty room; looking up seemed to last as far as the eye could see.

_I wonder where it could go, _Fran thought and pursed his lips, contemplating silently whether or not to climb up them and see what lies on top. Shrugging, he took a step through the door, closing it softly behind him, and started to climb the mysterious set of steps before him.

The stairs he climbed seemed to go on endlessly, just more white steps after white steps, until finally, he ran into a door - _literally_.

_Wham!_

"Ouchie..." poor Fran cried lowly, recoiling back a couple steps to stare at the black door before him and rubbing the side of his head. He frowned slightly. "I just climbed a series of stairs, just to see another black door? How _lame,_" he muttered to himself and stared at the door a little bit longer until finally reaching his hand out to open it.

The sun's harsh rays immediately poured in, temporarily blinding the small child as he raised his hand up in the air to shield his fragile, emerald orbs from them. He blinked a couple of times, and his vision finally cleared, though he was surprised of what he saw. It was a rooftop with an amazing view, and he was able to see the trees of the forest, a deep blue ocean in the horizon as far as the eye could see and where it met the sky.

In the middle of the empty rooftop was a gray flooring and a tall fence on the edges so no one would fall out. A dark red blanket was spread out neatly in the middle of the space, as if someone was going to have a picnic on it.

A chilling breeze blew by that was enough to make the Fran shiver. He rubbed his hands on the side of his arms to try and warm himself up. _God, I hate the outside world. It's so cold,_ he thought with a frown, staring at the blanket for a couple of moments before approaching it further.

He picked the blanket up and inspected it for any dirt or unwanted bugs, grabbing it in a fist and waving it in the air rapidly. Afterward, he wrapped the cloth around himself and his teeth chattered at the cold air that came by and brushed prickles against his skin.

_Well, I suppose I will be spending my lunch out here. At least it's quiet, _he thought and fell lazily onto his back, his hands clutching together to keep the blanket over him and protect him from the wind. His legs were comfortably stretched out, his eyes stared up at the bright blue sky and clouds that passed him by. _I like clouds, they're...peaceful._

Fran never said the word '"love". Not ever.

He didn't love anything. He thought things were 'pleasant' or 'disgusting' or just neutral, but everything was black and white in his eyes. Just like this school. He didn't have any feeling of adoration or indescribable love, he just felt that there was no such thing in the world, and words like that shouldn't be thrown around so easily, nor used. He was unfeeling towards nearly everything. He was like the wind and clouds.

He drifted by wherever the world took him, never getting to decide anything for himself. He just watched the world go by. So what if that's how he lived his life? He did as he was told, was controlled like a puppet and lived for others needs, with no real action or place in the world, but as long as he made other people pleased with him, wasn't that enough? To make it easier on everyone else and reach his full potential?

In the midst of his thinking and staring up at the white, fluffy streaks in the sky, something moved in the corner of his eye, making his body tense.

_Did I just see a streak of yellow and something shiny? Surely it wasn't the sun, it's on the eastern side,_ he thought. After a moment, he arched his back, allowing his vision to see a little bit further behind him and sure enough, it was what he had feared the most...

_Belphegor._

The blonde was sitting behind him on a higher elevation, crouched down and resting on his knees on top of the flat tinted roof that the dark door was under. He was still wearing his ripped up black jeans with the long chains that dangled and clung together ever so often in the breeze. He wore his black, dressy-shirt and blood red tie wrapped loosely around his neck. His mini-tiara was still on the side of his head, gleaming in the sun's rays, along with his pearly white teeth, his signature grin was on his face like the last time they met.

"Hey Toad," he greeted with a smirk.

Fran stared at him blankly before slowly lifting himself from the ground, his cocoon-like blanket still wrapped around him. "So you are here. How unfortunate. And here I was hoping you were an illusion," he drawled.

Belphegor make a "tch" sound at the comment.

"Hm, so you've been thinking about me, have you?" he asked teasingly with a snicker. "Though I still see you have that smart-ass mouth and ungrateful attitude, Froggie."

_How could I not think about you?_ Fran immediately thought, but tried not to show it. Fran shrugged his shoulders at his comment about him. He was honest, that's all. "So, what are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

Belphegor grinned and managed a shrug as well. Fran's eyes narrowed. Now he was just copying him.

"What? Can I not see what is rightfully mine?" Bel asked innocently, hopping down from the tinted roof a couple feet away from Fran with his insanely large grin.

The gesture made Fran frown a bit, taking an instinctive step back but having nowhere else to turn but to push himself up on the fence, staring at the blond warily. This guy was bad news, he knew that much. He would have to keep his guard up so he didn't sneak up on him.

"What's that suppose to mean? You don't own me," Fran muttered.

Belphegor laughed before extending a single finger to point at Fran.

"What?"

"The blanket," Belphegor answered, slowly approaching Fran as his white shoes scraped across the gray tile ground. "It's mine. But, if you do insist..." he began, stopping in front of the Kouhai.

Fran's small form tensed, staring up at Belphegor with cautious eyes. He clutched the blanket tighter around himself in a protective manner. This still didn't stop Belphegor from moving his hand up for his thumb to brush the side of Fran's cheek.

His light fingertips slowly moved across Fran's face, sending an instant, warm spark through his body.

_Don't react. Don't react. That's what he wants._

Fran tried his best to keep his gaze unfazed by the touch. He had to stop himself from flinching under it.

"Since you're wrapped around_ my _blanket, you could technically be mine as well," he finished with a smirk. Fran just stared at him dumbly.

Fran moved his face away from Belphegor's touches, unhooking one of his hands from the cloth that wrapped around him to move freely. The back of his hand slapped Belphegor's wrist away from him, to refrain from anymore unnecessary touches. The sound seemed to echo through the cutting air, almost like a loud whack in the face.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't touch me so freely, _Belphegor_. I take it as sexual harassment," he warned, and as a result of the swift movement, the heavy hat on his head slipped off and landed softly on the ground.

Bel's eyes narrowed slightly when he pushed his hand away from touching the boy's angelic face. A low, warning growl escaped the back of his throat, his unseen eyes following the falling froggie hat as it seemed to slowly twirl in the air before hitting the ground on its side.

"That's 'Bel-senpai' to _you,"_ he muttered.

They stood there a moment, the back of Fran's hand pushing Belphegor's arm away, his gaze slightly cold, disconnected, and the Prince making no move to touch him again while their eerie silence hung thickly in the air. Then, Belphegor leaned down. Fran jerked back, thinking he was going to touch him again, but Belphegor went to pick up the large hat instead.

He brought the item towards him once it was in his grasp, and brushed it clean with the palm of his hand. He paused for a brief moment, before staring up once more to meet Fran's beautiful eyes.

"You have three chances - and I won't consider this one of them. After the third one I can guarantee you _will _be punished severely in the worst way possible," he stated seriously, staring at him a moment longer, before placing the hat back on Fran's head. "I'll probably boil you alive, or chain your body from the ceiling and slice at your body slowly, painfully, or maybe I'll make you suffer from dismemberment~" Belphegor snickered, a mischievous glint in his hidden eyes. "It may not be today, or tomorrow, but I swear that _one day_, when your guard's down, that's when I will strike and take you by surprise. You will go through your whole life in fear of being struck down first. Either way, in the end you will kiss the ground I walk on, and bow on your knees for the _Prince~" _he snickered. "Get it?"

Fran didn't say anything at the threat, he just listened to him, absolutely frozen. He couldn't move, more like his body wouldn't _allow_ him too at the sudden weight of the hat placed back on his head. It wasn't so much it was heavy in general, but it seemed to be from the great weight on his shoulders of what he would have to endure if he did in fact take this hat off or get this guy pissed off.

He could feel the burning of his touch, without even having any actual physical contact with him, the hungry look in his eyes without having to stare at the irises, and the intensity of that grin on his face.

The two of them stood in silence, staring at the each others face. They didn't need words to know what they were expressing, the danger and stiffness in the air around the two on that empty rooftop as Belphegor's words sunk in.

Was he even breathing? What was he going to do? His instincts were screaming at him to leave, to do anything in his power to dart off far from this place. But Fran still managed to stand his ground and pushed their desperate cries away.

In normal circumstances, he read that if he was being bullied to tell an authorized adult before it happened to get too far. But, even though he was being threatened by this boy and felt a surge of danger from him, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He felt this was all a game, an _interesting_ game, which didn't arise very often. And he also felt that he had to conquer and beat this new challenger, a worthy opponent. So, for now he would go along with Belphegor's little games, and put up with any trouble it may cause him in the future...

Until he won, that is.

"Coercion..." Fran muttered under his breath, his eyes darting up from the ground to stare intensely at the other. "Very well then, _Bel-senpai_, I accept your challenge and your terms of rules in this game," he stated, but a small smile soon appeared on his lips. "But, what do _I_ get if I win?" Fran asked curiously, but seriously.

Belphegor snickered. "Game, huh? That's an interesting way to put it, but you don't have to worry about that."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, my uncute Kouhai, I will win. Who's to say I haven't already won? But on the slim chance you do happen to get away from me, then it will probably save you from a _lot_ of pain. Ushishishi~" Belphegor grinned. "And as long as you keep wearing that hat, you're part of _my_ territory, even your pathetic classmates know that much. Choose to defy me, and I promise you a lifetime of regret."

Fran blinked at his threat. His eyes slowly narrowed in recognition when Belphegor's words finally came together in his mind. It was his fault!

"So, you're the reason that my classmates have been neglecting me and staring at me with fearful eyes. Why would you do that? What's the purpose in it?" he asked, an edge of anger within the Fran's voice.

Belphegor just smirked, almost as if he was _pleased _with the results of Fran's loneliness and spark of annoyance. "Who knows. I think it's great that they know better than to touch other people's things. _My_ things. And it's to ensure there are no... distractions. Besides, isn't your reaction to it all enough?" he chuckled.

Fran frowned. He had a feeling they weren't talking about the blanket anymore.

"I thought I already told you. You don't _own _me, nor do you have the right t-" he began, but was soon interrupted.

A thin set of lips were suddenly pressed against his own. Fran jolted back, pressing himself harder against the iron fence. His hands released the blanket in his hands instinctively and raised his arms in the air to defend himself. Fran's small hands were on Belphegor's chest, trying to shove the blonde off him. Fran's eyes widened as a warm shiver of pleasure made its way through his body. He used more force to try to push Belphegor away.

Why? Why were his emotions skyrocketing again? He wasn't suppose to feel. He shouldn't be able to. What was happening to him?

He forced himself to tense, making 'mmf!' sounds to try and break those warm, slick lips against his own.

Bel's hands moved from the top of the frog hat on Fran's head, to slide the palm of his hands along Fran's frail figure and shoulders. His long fingers smoothed down his arms, wrapping around the smaller male's wrists, leaving his target immobile and captured within his grasp.

Crap! He lowered his guard, for just a second, and already this guy had him around his finger - literally. He was cornered and helpless now. What could he do? How could he try and get away?

Belphegor's knee shifted between the Fran's legs, brushing against the young kouhai's erection. The victim opened his mouth and gasped at the heated feeling from the sudden touch. Desperately, his body tried to squirm away from the blonde. But this didn't stop Belphegor. Fran's mouth opening was the perfect opportunity for him to attack his lips. Belphegor opened his own mouth against Fran's and let his wet tongue slip inside. Fran squirmed against him, his arms still bound by Belphegor's hands.

"Mmph..!" was the only noise that came from the boy, making his lips vibrate against Bel's. The blonde practically purred, deepening the kiss.

Fran could feel his mind start to fade into a haze as Belphegor's tongue dominated his mouth and wrestled with his own, tugging at it playfully. A spark of electricity caused an unexplainable sensation to surge through Fran's body. Fran's hands momentarily clenched as Belphegor's grip tightened to prevent the other from getting loose.

His body started to go limp the deeper their kiss went, the longer and more passionate it was. Butterflies softly fluttered in Fran's stomach. He could feel the edge of his cheeks heating in an adorable flush on his usually unfazed, pale face.

Fran wanted to give up. He wanted to admit defeat to this new perpetrator, to be blown away by this new wind and see where it would take him. There was just something about Belphegor, something he could do to him to make him feel so... amazing. He couldn't find any other way to describe it.

His touches. His word. The kiss that made him feel so high, so untouchable... _So numb_.

And that's what he loved the most.

Belphegor could make him forget everything else and go into their own little world. He could get rid of that constant, aching and slicing pain that always lay inside him and weighed on his heart. He could feel free and alive, if only for a short instant, and he would do _anything_ for it to last, if only for a bit longer. . .

Even though he wanted to slowly disappear and fall into the blonde's arms to absolute bliss, his highly intelligent mind still refused to give in so easily. His body felt like it was slowly shutting down on him, becoming weak, but he just had to keep fighting. He couldn't be carried away by this guy.

Belphegor pressed up against Fran, the new extra weight making the two slowly slide down the metal fence to the concrete ground. Their lips momentarily separated, the two breathing hard for air as they stared at each other.

Belphegor's legs were resting on either side Fran's waist, their chests barely sliding against one another. Fran lay under him, his wrists still clutched in Belphegor's grip ever so tightly, his pale green eyes searching the blonde's face. It was as if he was looking for something in particular in his eyeless face, the kouhai's soft gaze filled with both confusion, and silent _wanting_.

Belphegor understood the look in the Fran's eyes and couldn't help but snicker. He wanted _more_ then, huh? That look could never go unnoticed, not by the Prince~ He would get his young kouhai screaming his name, blushing, and trembling before him in no time. This would be fun.

The blonde pecked a soft kiss on the boy's cheek. Fran squirm a bit under him. Then, Belphegor kissed him again, a little lower, planting kisses down Fran's jaw line. Each touch or brush of the lips on the other's delicate skin earned a hitch in breath, a shift of the body that made their erections rub together momentarily, or a gentle, barely audible mewl. His whole body felt hot, like it was on fire. He knew his face absolutely _flushed_ as he reacted to Belphegor's each and every touch.

A wide grin couldn't help but appear on the Prince's lips against the boy's neck. Belphegor's hidden eyes glanced up at the green-haired boy, going to make a comment or tease Fran about the willingness of his body moving so wantingly under him, or the beautiful reactions he obtained by the lightest of touches that slid across his pale skin.

But when he looked up, he saw something completely unexpected. Belphegor blinked a couple times, absolutely dumbfounded at his Kouhai. The brat... looked so inviting, so _beautiful_. Like an absolute angel, just waiting to be tainted, to be captured and never be released...

Fran's mouth was partly opened, lightly panting at each brush of the lips against his gentle skin. His face was glowing in a pure white aura in the sun's rays. His light eyes were fluttered closed, long eyelashes caressing the edge of his rosy cheeks in an expression that resembled nothing but pleasure. The boy's neck was arched at Belphegor's kisses, as if his body was unintentionally begging, wanting more. Fran's form was limp and vulnerable under the blonde's body, their chests rising and falling against each other.

"Nnn-no, s-stop," Fran let out a ragged gasp, shifting his body to struggle free, but instead he had to chew on the side of his lip to surpress a moan as he brushed against Belphegor.

Belphegor, of course, didn't listen to the half-hearted pleas. He planted gentle kisses down his neck, sucking a large hicky on the base as the cool saliva slid down his shoulder. He kept going mercilessly and almost reached his collar bone, until he heard and felt the kouhai under him start to rebel and squirm.

He stopped momentarily, moving his head upwards slightly to speak lowly, his husky voice whispering in his ear. "But why would I do that? You're telling me to stop, but your body is doing the exact opposite," he grinned. His voice made a ripple go up Fran's spine and bite inside of his cheek. With a small smirk, he softly kissed his cheek, before he moved his lips down, latching onto Fran's neck and grazing his razor sharp teeth on the boy's tender flesh.

The boy let out a sharp breath at the spark of both pain, and pleasure. Gentle red lines of crimson liquid started to appear and trickle down Fran's neck. Fran bit the bottom of his lip, trying to suppress a moan that was holding in at the back of his throat, his immobile hands clenching and fingernails digging into his skin. Belphegor bit down harder, his sharp canines imprinting and piercing the sensitive flesh. Fran jumped, a small yelp escaping his pink lips. His green eyes shut tightly, anxiously awaiting it to be over.

"Why don't you just give up already, Froggie?" he purred, a sly, mischievous smile on Belphegor's face. What was that enchanting sound he had just heard? Did it just escape his innocent kouhai's soft pink lips? He could have sworn it was almost a scream - and what a _delicious_ scream it was. He couldn't help but want to hear even more of his moans, to feel the way his body shifted under his own, to stare at his uncute kouhai's angelic expressions that were rarely seen as he touched him, to taste those sweet lips that danced in union with his once again...

He wanted Fran to be his, and wouldn't stop until he obtained what he wanted.

"Never," Fran whispered fiercely, his body now shaking from exhaustion, fear, pain, and pleasure. His lips quivered slightly as he spoke, his eyelids opening to stare at the other fearlessly. What was this guy's problem? Why did he have to try so hard and go so far? Fran was persistent; there's no way he would give up so easily to the likes of _him_, and nothing that he could say would ever change his m-

"You're so beautiful, it's a sin," Belphegor couldn't help but mutter under his breath, his grip on his fragile wrists loosening to allow Fran to move freely.

Fran blinked, dumb founded. What did he just say to him? As embarassing as it sounded Fran _must _have been dreaming. Belphegor wouldn't have said something so... so... Ugh! It just wasn't logical in the least.

"They say... the most beautiful things are the most deadly," Fran managed to say between pants.

Good, Belphegor was distracted. It gave him a chance to catch his breath and try to get his overflowing emotions back under control. He needed to be calm and composed; unfazed. He couldn't allow this guy to break down through his mental walls.

Belphegor smirked slightly and chuckled a bit under his breath. "Then I must be absolutely _gorgeous,_" Belphegor snickered teasingly.

Belphegor opened his mouth slightly, his long, pink tongue slipping through to leave a wet trail across his collar bone and up the side of his neck, earning a small, barely audible mewl from Fran. His stomach sank, his neck arched hungrily, his breathing was irregular. Fran's eyes fluttered closed at the tingling sensation throughout his body as Bel's saliva crawled into his wounds and small gashes he had created earlier with his teeth, stinging ever so slightly. His hands clenched and his fingernails now dug deeper into Belphegor's back, trying to suppress his body's urges and to conceal the sweet sounds in his throat.

"A-ahh~" The sound barely managed to escape the young kouhai's lips, followed by a gentle shiver that went up his spine as the other's tongue slid against his pale flesh. He was rendered helpless as he fell for every touch, every breath or beat of his heart. He could slowly feel himself drifting, being carried away. Eventually, he knew, he would have to give in. His body was already limp, as good as rubber, and his mind was starting to give in as well to Belphegor, a deep fog over taking him. He couldn't keep this up, not if he kep-

Suddenly, the bell rang, the chime signaling that lunch was now over and to start to head back to class.

Fran's eyes blinked at the sound, his body jumping in alarm in Belphegor's arms. His mind's thinking was starting to become clearer, the gears churning and puzzle pieces starting to come together as it re-booted. His arms that were clutching Belphegor's back unlatched, trying to push himself off from the other's chest. He tried desperately to shove him away, but to no avail at his weakened state.

"Let. Go," Fran demanded with a deep frown and a serious glare.

He picked up the dark red colored blanket he had dropped earlier and swiftly threw it in Belphegor's face to temporarily distract him. As Belphegor tried to grasp aimlessly for the cloth, Fran masterfully slipped out of his arms, standing up on his two feet. He brushed himself off, then bowing politely.

"Please excuse me. I really must go. My parents would be furious if I didn't attend class. Good bye," he said quickly, before turning on the edge of his heels and darting for the door as he shuffled down the stairs as quickly as he could.

The last that was seen was the Prince sitting outside, alone. He looked dumbfounded at the swift, sudden action. It all happened so fast. One minute he had the kouhai in his arms, reacting beautifully like a tune to each and every movement. He knew he was so close to breaking, and now he was the only one on the empty rooftop, standing as he stared after him. The only other thing that was with him was a crimson blanket in the palm of his hand, before the black door slammed behind Fran, and Belphegor was out of view.

After that trial of events Fran went to the nurse's office - there was no way he could face his classmates with gashes, bite marks, and hickeys down his neck. Luckily, he had a buttoned-up shirt, making it almost like a turtleneck to hide the markings from view, as well as his long green hair to shield it.

Fran simply told the nurse that he wasn't feeling well during lunch and asked if he could call home. She agreed, sympathetic for the boy, and Fran had called his butler to pick him up from school immediately because he felt slightly ill. 8 minutes later, the limo had pulled into the school. Fran had gathered his things and climbed in the car, then he was on his way home. The palm of his hand was resting on the side of his neck the entire way, wincing every so often when they hit a bump. His eyes were staring out the window, locked on the now empty rooftop with a disconnected gaze.

There was one thing he knew: He could not let his parents, or anyone else find out about what had actually happened to him today on the rooftop, and, second, that his middle school year was not going to be any easier with Belphegor around.

* * *

_Present_

The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the dark, green room. The young boy was in a deep slumber, turning over and shifting in his sleep as if he was having a small nightmare. Soft pants were escaping his lips, his feet tangled in the sheets as he tossed and turned. His hands clenched tightly to his chest, a stuffed frog plushie resting beside him next to his white pillow. His cheeks and body felt hot, like he was finding it hard to breath or in a sweater on a hot summer's day.

The room was silent, except for the sound of his sheets rustling as he thrashed around within his covers. It appeared he was the only one there, but then, a silhouette appeared next to Fran in the midst of the cape of darkness. What appeared to be a limb - an arm - extended towards the struggling boy and brushed against his hand. Immediately, Fran's breath hitched in his sleep and lay completely still, before his head finally relaxed on his pillow and he breathed softly, peacefully.

Then, the warm essence went away momentarily, before he felt it again, tickling across his cheek gently. Lovingly.

"Mm..." Fran said in his sleep, tilting his head into the figure that cupped his face without a second thought. And for a moment, a gentle smile appeared on the boy's angelic face and rosy cheeks in contentment. Something soft and moist grazed against his forehead for an instant, making a tingling, numb sensation wave down Fran's entire body. A soft exhale of air left Fran's parted lips.

But as quickly as it had all come, the contact broke completely from his body. The affection touching his lips disappeared, the heated touch that was against his cheek now cold, and his heart beating within his chest faltering in disappointment. A barely heard whimper held in the back of his throat, his face turning into a cute pout at the emptiness that engulfed him once again in the chilling darkness.

After a moment, Fran heard something creak and immediately jolted up. His pale green eyes fluttered open and looked around frantically. He searched his room for something, _anything_ that seemed out of place or to see if someone was there. Had he just been imagining it? Was he dreaming the entire time?

But, just then, he saw something out of place in the corner of his eyes.

His eyes glanced down at the white carpet floor, and he blinked several times. It was barely noticeable, but were those the outline of footprints pressed onto the carpet?

Fran sat upright now, leaning down to inspect his usually clean, white carpet. But now it wasn't so clean anymore. Barely, you could see footprints next to his bed, leading all the way to the opened window. The thin, foam green curtains flowed in the breeze, the smell of the trees and grass and the sound of crickets chirping in the distance.

How? How was his window, right there, just wide open? His window was closed before, he never opened it for anything. If an intruder was just in his room, who in the world could it have been? How and why did they come in? And what was the purpose in it?

Beside the window was the wooden desk he kept, but his eyes widened at the sight. He bolted to his feet, and swiftly made his way across the room, squinting at a figure. A light, shaky breath left him, his foot automatically taking a small step back.

What was the meaning of this?

On the right side of the desk, lifelessly resting there, something seemed to stare back at him.

It was a hat.

It sat effortlessly on the rim, a dark green, large hat with googly, wide, glassy eyes. It was faced towards him, as if it was alive and watching Fran's every move closely, or it might jump up or attack him at any moment. It was a toad hat that stared at him. But, the question was, how did it get here? Didn't he leave it in the forest earlier that day?

They stood in silence for a moment, drilling holes in the other's hollow eyes and seeing their own reflection in the moonlight. Next to the frog, where his neat stack of white paper and small container full of unsharpened green pencils were, something else was out of place. There was a single, black ballpoint pen in the mix of the green, fuzzy pencils, as well as a note torn off the edge of a sheet of paper. His emerald gaze slowly slid down to a small, barely legible note that was tucked under the hat. A small frown appearing flatly on his lips.

What in the hell was this?

Shaky hands moved down to pick it up. He licked his bottom lip nervously.

What could it say? Why was it here? Was this some kind of joke?"

He picked up the slip of paper and moved it in front of his face to read it. Fran immediately dropped it, as if it had burned him. He was astonished at the words.

There, in the middle of the white sheet of paper in red ink, scrawled in perfect sursive said only two words that made Fran shiver.

**"****Strike One"**

Fran swallowed hard, his eyes glancing back at the toad hat with a shudder. He then looked back towards the window longingly at whoever could have done this.

"Belphegor..." he muttered, his mind racing.

Belphegor was in his room. He was here, even with all the security around his house. Right next to his bed, he could feel that pair of hidden eyes intensely staring at him in his slumber. That means the touches were from him too; the grazing of the skin, the protectiveness of each and every stroke that brushed against him.

Fran suddenly felt dizzy.

His body started rocking back and forth. Fran tried to move his feet, his eyes looking around the room as the walls moved in and out like they were breathin, coming closer and then far away. His mind started to throb, his heartbeat quickening. The shadows were hurling towards him, trying to grab him and pull him down in the darkness as they formed horrifying shapes and creatures to devour him.

Fran placed a hand on his head to steady himself, the other on the side of his desk. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to get himself back into control. His breathing started to come heavy, his legs wobbling. What was going on? Anxiety?

Then, before he knew it, his knees unlocked, and his feet fell out from under him. He crashed to the floor, outstretched on his side and immediately falling into an unconscious state. . .

* * *

Cliffhanger! What did you think? c:  
Did you like it? Hate it? Isn't Bel such a bad boy? ;D  
Reviews are awesome - I give cookies!

To be continued. . .


	3. Nightmare

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn in any shape or form, yadda, yadda. But, I do own this story, and I haven't give up on it yet. Promise. New chapters will be uploaded soon, though I can't promise much fluff for the future. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for your reviews! c:

* * *

**Marked**

**By: x-LittleMissAlice-x**

**Nightmare**

"Hello Fran, How are you feeling?" a woman's voice asked in the midst of the darkness. It echoed against invisible walls, as if coming from every direction. Her voice sounded so close, in yet so far away as it reached his ears. Fran couldn't help but wonder who's it belonged to.

Fran suddenly bolted up, snapping back from his thoughts. He soon winced, placing his hand on his throbbing head at his sudden swift movement. His heart beat quickened, pale eyes darting around the room aimless as Fran tried to pinpoint exactly where he was.

Where was he? Why was he here? How did he get here? He didn't remember going anywhere this morning.

He finally took the time to study his surroundings.

Their were two leather seats, the color of a slate gray. The two comfortable chairs were sitting across from each other within the medium sized room, a little stool in between them to rest their feet on. Next to the chairs was a small round table propped up by three metal legs that intersected at the bottom instead of four. It was a round top with a bowl resting on top. Inside the bowl was this blue, glow-in-the dark kind of liquid, with green apples for decoration. Next to the table-top with the mysterious liquid bowl was a long couch, a dark gray like the other chairs, with golden pillows. The walls were a cluster of a variety of plain browns mixed with some white to give it a cross-hatched calming or neutral look. Paintings filled the walls, having o particular shape or object to them, just a splash of color in the dull room. Perhaps it was for the soothing of one's mind?

Bookshelves were on the left side of the room, filled with nothing but information and organized neatly. The room seemed normal, at least. The only thing that Fran found strange were the excessive amount of mirrors that filled the room – as if they were used to watch their subject from every possible angle.

His light green eyes finally made it to the woman before him, the one who had just spoken.

The girl was young and beautiful with medium length blonde hair and feathery bangs pushed to the side. She had a spray of freckles across her nose and a bright, sweet smile on her pink glossy lips. She wore a short, black pencil skirt and work button-up shirt. A sparkling, butterfly necklace hung by her busty chest. She sat in a polite way, a light red clipboard in her hands, clutched close so he couldn't see what she was writing. Her eyes stared attentively at Fran. Her knees and ankles touched together with her black heels, and her back completely straight within her own leather seat. She had a 'light' air or atmosphere around her, despite the gloomy dim lighting of the room or plain colors, but also one of authority.

But the only thing Fran took note of was that she had really pretty eyes.

Her eye color was a dark, sapphire ocean blue, that couldn't help but seem vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. But despite the kind-hearted gaze, Fran felt troubled.

"Well, Fran? Are you okay, dear? Your looking a bit pale," she commented, the sweetness in her soft voice and concern deep and noticeable within her eyes.

She reached the back of her hand out to him to make sure he didn't have a fever.

A mistake.

In a moments notice Fran's own hand whipped around, slapping her hand away from him to stop her from touching him further. His eyes flashed a cold, icy green in warning within his hollow gaze.

The woman blinked, dumbfounded by his swift movement. Was he afraid of her? Why did he have to push her away and seem so cool and collected in his expressions? They were just there to have a conversation...

She retreated her hand back to her side slowly, watching him carefully as she analyzed the situation. She shifted in her seat a bit to a more comfortable position, glancing down at her clipboard and the sheet of paper on it, before turning her gaze back to the young boy. How should she approach his attitude towards her?

"So, Fran, how are you doing? You seem a little different today," she managed to say.

"I'm Fine," he insisted coldly, an edge of impatience in his voice. He was growing restless in this room, and with this woman. He had no idea what in the world he was doing here, nor what his purpose was in all of this, but he wanted to know, _now_.

"My goodness, someone is a bit irritable today~", she sang teasingly with a small wink, trying to lighten his mood. Fran just frowned at her blankly, clearly not amused, but also not denying his bad mood. She had to find some way to lift Fran's spirits up. Maybe if they based on some common ground...

"So Fran, How's school?", she asked curiously, her pearling white smile back in place.

"Boring," he answered immediately, staring at the young woman dumbly.

She let out a small, nervous laugh, shifting uncomfortably within her seat. "Um.." she mumbled to herself, her eyes glancing around the room a bit before meeting his blank eyes once again.

"W-well then, have you made any new friends yet? Anything interesting going on?", she asked, starting to play with her thumbs in her lap - a nervous and shy gesture. This kid was going to be harder to talk to then she expected. His answers were so non-descriptive, so vague. How could she help if he wouldn't even attempt at telling her anything or what was going on?

The young boys hands resting on his knees tightened. His straight, cautious-looking posture slumped slightly. Fran paused for a brief moment, hesitant in her questioning. His mind shifted to Belphegor for an instant, his face's frown deepening and his brows furrowing the more he thought about _him. _

Fran pursed his lips, glancing down at the tile below him as he found the smooth surface of the floor more interesting than the woman before him. He studied it, noticing the cloudy dark greyish blue color on the farthest pattern in a square like shape, then a golden one, then in the middle, under the small round table, was a darkish white.

In the end, Fran decided not to go into it the subject.

"Not really," Fran stated, meeting the others eyes once again.

He wasn't going to say anything about him being bullied in school. It wasn't important enough to mention about Belphegor and Fran's big "_disputes"_. Sure, they got out of hand, _a lot,_ and ended up a just a little bit sexual, but Fran could handle himself around his senpai. He didn't need any help. Not now, anyway.

Besides, like he would tell this _stranger _about his personal life.

"….I have a question," Fran finally stated.

The woman snapped out of her thoughts. She was just thinking about his hesitation, wondering whether or not she should pester him further about the subject. But, she quickly changed her attitude, her bright blue eyes lightening. She leaned forward to the edge of her seat, a huge grin on her face. Yes! He would finally open up to her!

She nodded several times, using her hands to indicate for him to continue. "Yes Fran! Please, anything. You can ask me whatever you'd like. I will try my best to help," she smiled brightly, nodding once again to secure her answer. "Please, what are your concerns?"

_What is with that confident attitude? Is she really that interested?_

"Um..." Fran began, his expression shifting to a more thoughtful one, "What are you doing exactly? Interrogating me? 'Cause your not doing a good job of it. Did I break the law or something?" he asked in his mono-tone voice. He wouldn't be surprised if he did or was accused of doing something like that. Wherever he was lately, trouble seemed to follow.

The woman looked dumbfounded at his assumption. Did it really seem like she was investigating him? Did he really not know?

She paused, trying to put it into words as her perfect blond brows furrowed. Her eyes glanced into her lap as a tension lingered in the air.

Fran looked tense in his leather, his eyes set on her in expectation. What was she thinking exactly?

It almost _important. _Because when she pulled her eyes back to look into his their was a new maturity in them. She actually looked _serious. _She was acting so immature and unreliable earlier, being mentally moved by some kid. She looked hopeless, nervous only a couple moments ago, but now she looked like an adult that genuinely cared for his well-being and wanted to break the news she had next in mind in the easiest way possible.

"Please, lay down on the couch and make yourself comfortable. I think you'll have to for this," she said softly.

Fran was still, studying her. Get on the couch? Why?

He really didn't understand it. Fran leaned forward, his gaze filled with sparkling interest. He was going to say 'I'm fine here, just spit it out already' but decided against it , perhaps because of the intensity of her sapphire eyes.

Fran stood from his seat, and took a couple steps to the dark, leather couch. He fell back and collapsed against it, laying across it lazily with his ankles crossed over the arm of the chair. He impatiently crossed his arms over the other in irritation. He didn't like this room. Their was something uneasy about it. He wanted to leave, quickly. So why couldn't she just allow him to get back to their lives?

"Okay? I don't have all day," he mumbled. The woman smiled a bit, though it was a sad, solemn one.

"Fran, sweet Fran," she sighed. "I see you all the time. I can't believe you don't remember..." she trailed.

"What do you mean 'I see you all the time' ? This is the first I've seen of you in my life," Fran mumbled. The woman whimpered.

"That hurt Fran..." she whined, "How could you not remember me? I take the time to do so for you. How rude," she pouted.

Fran rolled his eyes.

For a second there she was acting like an actual happened? He actually liked her better that way. She caught his interest there for just a moment. He wasn't going to listen and treat her with respect if she acted like she was so much younger than he was. So what if he seemed like some 'arrogant little 14 year old'? He had no sympathy for anyone who took everything so harshly - especially if they dealt with it immaturely.

"Then I guess you didn't make much of an impression then, huh?", he stated sarcastically with a bored expression. "Now, if you don't mind, could you _please_ just tell me what I 'm doing here and we can go on our merry way?"

"Fran, I don't think..." she began hesitantly, beginning to glance around the room with her eyes, as if the walls had ears or they were being watched.

She needed an excuse. _Anything _she didn't have to tell him. But, when her eyes shared a look with those hard, serious ones a shudder couldn't help but move down her spine. How could he be so young by act so serious? What had compelled him to become that way?

Sighing in defeat, she closed her eyes briefly. Swallowing her fears she let out a gentle sigh.

"I'm your therapist. You went through some trauma a while back, and I am here to help you with your problems. To get over your grief and overcome your fears. To help you become a stronger person. My job is to get you to open up and tell me whats going on in your life so we can both come to a solution. I help so you can recover, get better," she explained softly.

_Get better. _It sounded like he was sick with some kind of disease or something. Something vile that needed to be cured. Or moreover, something _broken _that needed to be fixed. But the deepest of cracks can never be put back together, no matter how hard you try. You can paint the outside of it, cover up all the abuse and scars on the outer shell - but the inside can never be repaired. Once the fragility is mishandled and chipped, it can never truly be fixed whole again. All that's left is the aching memory of the burning scar.

Fran was about to remember that.

Fran stared at her, taking in her explanation. His facial expression was as unreadable as always; calm and collected, though anticipation was deep in his eyes. After another moment of silence passed between them, he finally confessed, "I don't understand. Why do I need a therapist? I don't remember experiencing any 'trauma'. Did something happen?"

"Well, yes, something did happen. .But, you seem to have forgotten, so maybe it's better that way. Better not knowing. The truth hurts, Fran. It's best to live your life in ignorance. Become shrouded in false light, be enveloped and wrapped around in beautiful lies. If you do that, then you can go back to the life you live now. You can have the chance to be happy, Fran. Isn't that what you want? Your family, your friends and loved ones, to be surrounded by them is what you wish, yes?"

"My life? _What_ life?" Fran suddenly snapped, the depths of his eyes starting to flare in anger. He clenched his fists at his side, clawing at the leather as his jaw tightened. Her words struck a nerve in him.

"You mean that dull existence where every single person sees you as some _thing? _A pathetic doll that needs to be controlled? They don't even treat me as a human being! I have to live to everyone's expectations, do what others say without question. It's so stupid! And my _parents? Great, y_our even bringing them into this? They shouldn't even be called as such! Why would I even want to be around them? They don't acknowledge me as their son, they don't care about me, let alone 'love me'. They just put up with me, expect me to do every single demand they say flawlessly. To make our family 'look good' for the public and throughout the neighborhood. I am _nothing. _I don't need any friends, they just bring you down and show weakness. The world isn't such a sing-song place people make it out to be. It's cruel and filled with cheats and lies. I just wish..."

Fran finally stopped his yelling, panting hard as he tried to catch his breath. His heart was racing through his chests, his whole body felt like it was on fire. His limbs were trembling at his sides and his gaze drilled into the ground, immediately regretting his outburst.

Had he really just said all that? Was that really how he felt?

He slowly glanced back up, meeting the woman's eyes. She had been surprised at first, but now she looked sympathetic. She stood, took a couple steps forward and sat next to Fran on the couch. She smiled gently, starting to pet and stroke Fran's hair in an understanding manner. The boy under the touch flinched at the contact, let an abused dog not used to be treated with kindness, but still not tamed enough to have the urge to snap back.

"Then what do you want Fran? What would make you happy?", she asked softly, staring into his light green eyes. The look in his gaze before had been frightening. Boiling, hard, and just plain angry. Now though, most of those harsh feelings seemed to have subsided, only leaving pain and suffering left to see vulnerable in his eyes, even if it was only brief and barely caught.

"Your life now, you may despise it, hate it with your entire being, but it was better than your past life, I can guarantee you that. It may be more troubling in many ways, but it is more bearable, manageable to be in. Do you understand?", she asked, cocking her head to the side as her wavy, blonde hair fell over her shoulders.

She felt sorry for him, and she hated feeling such a way. She knew from Fran's character he probably hated being pitied. He wanted to look stronger in front of others, no matter how fragile he actually was on the inside.

Fran refused to say a word, taking in the woman's motherly touch. His heart squeezed painfully at her words. Fran moved his lips, but his words were lost in a mutter of sound.

The woman looked confused. She inched closer, trying to hear him better. "Pardon me?" she asked politely.

Then, she saw Fran's eyes jerk back up at her, filled with irritation. She pushed her loving hand away and scooted further down the couch to get as far away from her as possible. His expression turned into a deep frown, letting out his last breath of control.

"Do _not _touch me! I said I just want to be left alone! Is that too much to ask for? Why must everyone insist on getting close to me? I don't need friends. Family has never come to my aide; since the beginning all they have done is throw me to the sharks and I have had learn how to adapt, learn to survive. I've always been on my own, and nothing will change that.

"But Fran, you aren't alone! You weren't always in the beginning..."

"Don't act like you know so much about me. How would you even know that? Go ahead, enlighten me. Who? You said their was someone else, didn't you?"

Where was this conversation going?

"Yes Fran! There is someone else, their always have been. My patience really is running thin with you. I'm here to _help_ you, not talk around in circles. Learn to show some respect to adults! Here I am, this mature, beautiful young woman who is willing to give you her aide and this is how you treat me? You should be thankful!" The woman was starting to raise her voice as she spoke, obviously not satisfied. It only made the situation worse.

Fran cracked a small smile, his gaze devious. He was good at using his stinging words. He did it so other people could feel the jab of pain he always felt, and this person was starting to annoy him. Treating him like some senseless child like everyone else, it made Fran irritated.

"Oh really? Is thatwhat you are? A _mature _young woman?" he asked sarcastically. "Don't make me laugh. Besides, I didn't _ask _you for help. If I'm such a burden then just leave me alone and go away – It would be some improvement for the both of us. I don't need you or anyone else in my life. You could disappear from the world and I'm sure no one would notice or care. Their would be one less_ annoying_, _irritable_, and_ helpless_ person in my life who thinks they understand, but don't. Find someone else to bother and give sympathy to. May I leave now?", he asked in a polite tone after his harsh words, his expression now blank and unreadable.

The woman was the definition of fuming as her muscles flexed and eyes narrowed at his bad attitude."Can I not talk any sense into you? Your such a.. such a.. Ooh! Your making me so angry right now! Why must you be so cruel to the people around you? That will only push people away."

"I _want _to push people away. Don't you get it? No one cares for me, or at least I don't care for them back. Theirs no reason for people to hurl themselves at me for some pointless little thing. If any reason its to get something from me, to use me. "

"But Fran, their is a person! Your feelings are already so-far gone, you push others away without giving them a chance. What happened to make you so intrusting of others..? Theirs someone you know that cares for you dearly, and I would hope you do as well."

"I don't have an obligation to tell you that. And who? _You? That's_ not very 'heart-warming' or impressive."

"No! But yes, well, I do, but that's not my point! If you look hard enough you can find several people who care! Your sister, Fran! Your little sister cared about you too!"

"W-woah wait. My s_ister?" _he asked. Fran was taken aback, even blinked his eyes a couple times, trying to remember if he heard correctly. His brows furrowed in suspicion as he tried to remember, but to no avail. What was she talking about.? He was an only child as far as he knew. "Who?"

"O-Oh crap," she muttered under her breath, smacking herself in the forehead. How could she have let that slip? She shook her head back and forth, chewing on the side of her perfect lip.

_That wasn't suppose to slip out! Stupid, stupid, stuuuuupid, _she thought, her eyes shut tight. "Well, um..."

"Answer me, lady," he pushed further without mercy. Fran was in control now, and he knew it. He would press for information about this, and he didn't care what she thought about it. "Where is she? Why don't I remember her?"

"W-well, Fran, I don't know why, but shes no longer here."

"Then _where? _Where is she?" Fran demanded. Was she telling the truth about this? Could this person possibly remember his past? He wanted to meet this person, the one this woman claimed to be his sister. What happened to her? Had she run away from home? Was she staying with a relative? Where exactly was she? Why didn't he have any memories of this girl?

"Ugh, you really do love pushing others buttons like _someone_ I know," the woman grumbled. "Look, she's dead now! Okay Fran? She's no longer 'here', she isn't anywhere. Your sister, Fran, your little sister, died. She's dead, and theirs nothing you can do about it. So can we stop going further in the matter?", she snapped back. She hated being used like that! Why did men have to emotionally take advantage of her?

It took her a moment to realize what she had just done. She hadn't meant for it to come out that way.

Immediately, she felt regret wash over her. She felt her heart sink as she pursed her lips. "I-I'm so sorry Fran. I didn't mean.. it wasn't," she tried to say, but no apology could lighten the impact. Finally, she let out a ragged sigh of defeat. "I'm so sorry, Fran..."

What was she talking about?

The woman glanced up at him, her gaze concerning towards the young boy who just stared at her in disbelief.

When she spoke, it had been all a drowned out as it reached his ears. It took a moment for them to finally sink in, and when it did, he wasn't prepared for what he would feel.

His heart ached and dropped to the pit of his stomach as he clutched his dark green shirt. He could feel his hands start to tremble and his eyes sting. His gaze tore from the young girl refusing to show his weakness. Fran's hair fell over his face to hide the deep hurt and anguish within his eyes.

What was happened with him? What were these feelings overwhelming his entire being?

He swallowed hard, trying to get himself back under control.

Emotions burs through him. He felt helpless, anger, sorrow and pain, as well asthe double-edge sword of love. His eyes; he would have been lying if he said they didn't want to cry.

How could he have forgotten about that? Of course. That's why he was how he acted like today and was so emotionally unattached to the world. That;s why he refused to get close to anyone or show facials, to always hide what was on his mind. It was all because of that excruciating event.

It was true. His sibling, his dear little sister, had died. She was the _only _person he felt understood him, and she was gone. Forever.

After that, his entire world seemed to have slowly been crashing down. He was never the same since.

..Suddenly, their was a loud knock on the door before the woman could respond or try to comfort him. Fran jumpped at the sudden noise. He closed his eyes tight, trying desperately to bury those emotions once again and fight back the tears that tried to escape the corners of his eyes. He had to stay strong.

"Oh! He's here early," he heard the woman comment in her annoying sickly sweet tone. "Fran, you appear to have a visitor. I knew he would arrive~ Theirs someone I would like you to meet," she said sweetly, motioning her arms out to the door as it opened.

At first, no one appeared to be there, hidden in the darkness.

Then, Fran looked up as he heard the figure take a step forward, gazing down at a silver and black shoe.. Then, another as he saw the bottom of jet black jeans. Wait, what in the world was going on?

Finally, the figure was strolling towards Fran. His pale green eyes widened in disbelief. Dirty blonde hair and long bangs. A stripped purple and black shirt. A tiara on the side of his head, and a wicked grin plastered across his face. It was none other than...

"Belphegor," the blonde woman and Fran seemed to say in union - one in a light-hearted giggle, and the other in a wary and cautious tone of familiarity. She blinked her bright blue-green eyes, a curious expression in her gaze. "Oh? You know him already?"

"S-Something like that," Fran managed to say, creating a shaky smile of fake reassurance. "How do you..?"

"Oh! Didn't you know? That's my son! Isn't he charming?", she smiled proudly, practically beaming in satisfaction. Fran's jaw dropped to the floor.

Belphegor snickered as he casually approached Fran and brushed past his mother. "I'm glad I could make you so proud, Mom. Taking care of my troublesome, uncute Kouhai, I assume?", he asked in a playful tone as the woman smiled.

Now that Fran saw the relation between the two their large, stretched smile seemed to be the same. It was enough to make Fran shudder at the sight.

Fran shifted uncomfortably, scooting farther away across the couch as the blond just kept coming closer, a hidden glint in his eyes. As Fran pressed further back he was actually just sliding down, sinking into the slate blue arm of the chair. Pale, fragile limbs wrapped around himself protectively, shutting his eyes tighter the closer he heard the other come. Each step made Fran jump, his heart race faster. Then, the cushion next to him sunk at a sudden weight. The words next spoken made a chill move down Fran's spine.

"Hiding from me again, are you?"

He could hear the hint of amusement in Bel's voice. Fran refused to look at him.

He felt a hand rustle through his hair, the contact making Fran visibly flinch. Slowly, he looked up at his eyeless face.

"Stop. Don't get any closer to me," he warned, though his words were soft-spoken and quiet. He sounded tired, worn out from his day. Couldn't he just go home and rest? He hated dealing with people.

"Hmph. Make me," Bel smirked, his lips clashing with Fran's without any mercy.

Fran jumped and shut his eyes, starting to squirm. His heart raced wildly within his chest, fragile hands trying to push Belphegor off him. Bel moved closer, sliding his body smoothly to trap Fran under him.

Fran's innocent pale green eyes darted over to Belphegor's mother, a desperate, longing gaze for help. But she proved to be none.

The woman just giggled madly and said something like, "You two make the cutest couple!~" The thought made Fran want to fall over and gag.

"Mmf!", Fran struggled, when he felt his tongue slip into his mouth. The wet saliva searched through every inch inside of the tunnel, starting to pull and tug as it played with his own. Disgusted, Fran bit down hard on the organ when he was given the chance. Belphegor quickly retreat his invasion of Fran's mouth at the burst of pain struck through it.

As their lips parted Fran was panting hard, glaring at the mess of blonde hair in front of him, who frowned back. "Ya lil shit, ya bit my tongue!", came the retort of Belphegor, growling lowly under his breath.

"Well, I-I said Sto-", was all he could barely say at the intake of air, before he was forcefully kissed once again, not able to get out his plea. His hands balled a fist in Belphegor's loose shirt as the lower half of his body struggled, brushing against him from their closeness.

Fran shut his eyes helplessly, waiting for something, _anything _that could save him. He had to think! Anything that could get him out of this situation. All Fran ever seemed to do around Bel was run away. He could never get himself under control when Belphegor was around. It was so damn irritating! Not even biting tongues and butting heads would do any good. Why couldn't Bel just back off and leave him alone like everyone else?

The hard kiss broke once again, breathing even harder than before from the lack of oxygen in their lungs. Fran stared at the blond, eyes weak and his will diminishing. He tried to ignore him, distract himself from what was going on as he looked in the corner of his eye at the mirrors on the walls. The reflection inside of them made his eyes unintentionally stare in disbelief, unable to pull away.

It showed him, and Belphegor on top of his frail body - like they were now. But instead of trying to catch their breath, in the mirror he was kissing Belphegor _back. _It looked like he was actually enjoying it! The rough, wanting demeanor and all! His fingers were laced within his blonde, thick layers, eyes fluttered closed with their lips in sync, and.. and what was with that adultery act_? _H-His own hips were buckled wantingly against Belphegor's like some kind of little _man-slut? _The hell was that? Oh, and let's not forget the figure of his own _Mother _watching their ordeals right in the middle of her office, not even trying to intervene? This was crazy!

Panicked, he looked over at another mirror quickly, hoping he was just imaging these images, but only finding the other reflection was even _worse._ Now, Fran's fragile hands were clawing at the older males back, itching to get closer. Belphegor was sucking at the base of his neck, playing with him with his wet tongue and the trail of saliva that slid down. Fran's head was thrown back over the couch and his eyes closed shut as if he was crying out in bliss, his legs wrapped around Belphegor's waist. Fran's pants were unbuttoned and unzipped. Belphegor's hand could be seen snaking down his pants with that mischievous, dark smirk, and... Oh god, Fran was going to be_ sick_!

A blush crept across Fran's cheeks when he swiftly looked away, not trusting the mirrors anymore and their 'ideas'. Why was he seeing such reflections through the glass? W-was that what his mind secretly wanted or something? Surely not. No, he was just being delusional, that was it. Going mad.

Fran's eyes turned back to Belphegor, still breathing hard as his chest rose and fell. He felt _very _uncomfortable.

His limbs trembled involuntarily under the taller, stronger male. He could feel those eyes, that hidden gaze watch his movements closely in their brief silence, raking over his entire body as if to wonder what he would do next with Fran - a predators gaze wanting to devour their prey.

Fran looked very hesitant, and did a double-take - turning his gaze around the room, then glancing over at Belphegor nervously, before turning his head away once again. He couldn't concentrate on anything! And he had no idea what Belphegor was thinking; or at least, he didn't want to know.

Their was something about this situation Fran didn't like. It made him scared. Fran usually never feeling something so unneeded.

But he was frightenedat what Belphegor could do to him; the whole rush of it all, and the unknown familiarity from the past he just couldn't explain. . .

"P-Please," Fran choked back, his grip on the blondes shirt tightening as he looked desperately at his face, searching for any kind of remorse, _anything _that proved he was listening to his pleas.

Fran's vision was fogging, unintentionally slipping through some hot tears that threatened to spill over. His body shook even more than before. His breath was coming out so fast he could feel his mind become light-headed. Was this what experiencing fearwas like? He was going into hysteria.

"I'm sorry but- I-I can't. I just," Fran sputtered, he couldn't even form a complete sentence or think straight. His voice cracked when he spoke, and the inside of his heart ached as he tried to swallow it all back. What was going on with him?

Looking back at Belphegor, soft green eyes yearning for him to understand, he was surprised to see an actual smileon his face. Was he amused at his actions? What was so funny about it?

His smile; it wasn't a large, insane grin like normal, but instead a small one.. Not harsh or teasing like usual, but an actual decent, nice one.

Fran was surprised, not knowing what to think of it. His thin pale legs shifting uncomfortably under Belphegor, as Fran stared at him curiously with pale green eyes. "I..." he was at a loss of words. Finally, he let out a sigh of defeat as if giving up what he was going to say.

Gentle lips softly pressed against Fran's plush pink ones in a gentle kiss, a warm hand caressing the edge of his cheek. Fran flinched back, not used to such a light action from him. He could feel the depths of his stomach flutter helplessly, eyes as round as saucers staring at his face in disbelief.

Was he dreaming?

The hand across his cheek felt _nice_. He could feel the edge of his face heat in a cute blush. It was a careful touch, protecting even. Fran hated to admit it, but he actually liked it.

Fran's eyes softly fluttered closed, his long eyelashes batting against his cheeks. He silently savored this moment. Soft, wet lips just light pressed against his own, as if Belphegor was taking his sweet time slowly taking away part of Fran's soul instead of trying to devour him whole.

It was a different sensation.

Fran could feel his body start to go limp against him, his mind stopped struggling to fight back. He wouldn't fight it anymore; he couldn't find the will to. That numbing sensation that melted all his troubles away told him it was going to be okay. All the negative feelings, the hurt, it faded away. For the first time in Fran's life he felt free.

Fran regretted when he their lips parted. Reality set in again, the pain and sorry heavily crashing back down to him. Belphegor's deep exhale of breath that hit his face afterward was relaxing, like a breeze on a hot summer day

Fran couldn't believe what he was thinking.

The blush that crept on the edge of his cheeks deepened. Shrinking into himself Fran quickly glanced away, murmuring something weakly under his breath. Belphegor smiled to himself. The blonde stroked his cheek once more, resting his shaggy head against Fran's shoulder with a teasing smirk.

"What was that request again, Froggie?" he whispered smoothly in Fran's ear, a hint of amusement in his voice.

The kouhai could be heard muttering quietly, "You heard me," in a shy, quiet tone.

"Hm, did I?" Belphegor grinned to himself, playing dumb.

"Obviously if your smirking like that.," Fran stated back. The blond chuckled lightly.

"Aw, your no fun. Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Belphegor asked sweetly, pecking a kiss on the side of Fran's cheek.

Fran felt that sensation again; the hot, sizzling rush down his body. Even though it was brief and was no longer there, he could still feel the traces and the fluttering butterflies in his tummy.

Fran pouted like a child. "You really do enjoy doing this to me, huh?"

"Always. Ushishi~"

"Typical.." Fran muttered, finally releasing an exhale of defeat. "I-I asked if you could do that again," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Fran was ashamed of himself; not to mention super embarrassed.

Was he seriously begging?Fran never begged, _ever._ But then again, Belphegor tended to make Fran do things he normally wouldn't.

"Oh, you were asking? It sounded more like _pleading_ to me," came Belphegor's response. Fran's expression slippied into a small frown.

"Just shut up and kiss me already, you stupid Prince," he replied.

The blond snickered. "Blunt, aren't we toad?"

"Do you always have to have the last laugh, Bel-Senpai?"

"Hm. Yep, pretty much. At least, in this case I do," he smiled, turning Fran's pale face to the side as he pressed himself into a soft, deep kiss.

It wasn't just him being irrational. Whenever Fran made any physical contact with Belphegor, it made him feel like he was on top of the world, like nothing could touch him. Finally, he could just stop thinking, and be swept away by this new wind. He had no idea where it would take him, but he still wanted to always feel this way - _comfortably numb_. In truth, it was only a way to run away from his problems. But even if it was only for a moment, a couple seconds he had the luxury to have his own neatural high, Fran would sacrifice anything to get it.

He was falling. Literally.

Suddenly, the couch right from under them disappeared, the ground below breaking apart. They fell through the floor, the mirrors, the dull room, and even that crazy, fan-girl, blond woman therapist dissolved. Fran was falling through the air, his lips still passionately connected with Belphegor and their hips locked. Fran wrapped his arms around Belphegor's neck, wanting to be even closerto him.

They fell through the fluffy white clouds, the mist cooling their bodies in the bright blue sky. He was uncaged now and he wanted to keep it that way. This light feeling the enveloped him made him feel like a feather in the air. He never wanted it to end.

However, the pink, orange and purple dusk that creamily danced around their joined bodies, disappeared. The happy, playful sun that warmed their face turned to darkness. It all vanished into cold, lonely voice of space.

Fran was lying across a kind-sized bed with silky black sheets and blood red pillows. The walls were black as well, red oozing down the walls like blood. The only lightening in the room was the candles that flickered above the headrest.

Fran's body shivered from the freezing cold, danger lurking in the room. His eyes looked back at Belphegor, sinking into the comfortable mattress of the bed. The fire from the candle gave off a small light, illuminating the side of the blonde's face and creamy skin.

"W-where are we? What's going on?" he asked, squinting in the darkness. He couldn't see a thing! "This place, it's so cold," he murmured, rubbing the sides of his arms to warm himself up.

"This is my room," Belphegor smirked. Fran blinked, glancing around the room once more. This was getting creepy...

"And its okay, don't worry. I'll have you warmed up soon enough," he whispered huskily in Fran's ear. Fran shivered as a warm hand sneaked up Fran's shirt, softly caressing the smooth, tender flesh on his lower abdomen. Fran's head threw back, a small 'mewl' escaping his lips at the seductive touch as he squirmed restlessly under it.

"N.-Ngh. P-Please don't.. stop," Fran murmured as he felt the warmth travel further up to his torso, touching every inch of skin it could in its path.

He felt Belphegor's fingers suddenly pinch his nipples, teasing twirling the pink bud.

"A-Ahh..!" Fran cried out, starting to feel his shallow breathing become irregular. His tongue masterfully licked and sucked on the other one, playing Fran like a musical instrument, sweet tune of moans escaping the back of his throat.

Fran's legs shifted together, feeling the bulge in his own pants grow embarrassingly tighter against Belphegor as he chewed on the edge of his lip. Bel must have felt it to, because that wicked grin came back to his face.

"Mmm?~ Whats that nice feeling going down there? I never knew Froggie was turned on so easily," he commented with a snicker. Fran's body flushed from head to toe.

"I-I don't know what your talking about," Fran denied, brushing against the silky sheets. God, why was he so nervous? He looked like such an idiot!

"Ushishi? Then whats this pleasant surprise right here?", he asked. The palm of Belphegor's hand slid down Fran's stomach to rubbed against his groin over his pants flirtatiously. Fran's hips lurched forward into the touch instinctively, his back arching against the pillows.

"Mmgh," he moaned. Blinking at the sudden sound he quickly pressed both of his hands over his lips in cute surprise. Lowering his head and trying to hide his blush, he shivered under the hungry, wanting intent in Belphegor's hidden eyes.

"W-what are you thinking of doing, Bel-senpai?" Fran asked in a hesitant, small squeak.

"God, you have no idea, Fran. I'm going to fuck you so damn hard you won't even be able to walk in the morning..."

It was morning and the suns rays shone through the thin curtains and brightened the room with a soft glow.

A young boy, who's childish face only appeared to only be twelve in slumber, was on his back, tucked safely under his green polka-dot blanket. He was wearing a green, froggie pj button-up shirt and some loose pants to match. His expression was nothing but peaceful, long eyelashes caressing the boys pink, rosy cheeks, and soft breathing escaping his soft plush lips. He appeared to be in the most beautiful of slumbers, as always.

But then he began to shift.

His eyelids shut tightly for an instant, his angelic expression twisting into one that turned into discomfort, then anguish. Tears could be seen running down his cheeks, crying softly in his sleep. His feet started to kick around within the covers, then they wildly thrashed uncontrollably in a frenzy of arms and legs. Fran's entire body broke out into a cold sweat, gasping for air as soft, helpless yelps sounded in his room, then actual terrifying screams.

Immediately, Mukuro stormed into the room of the frantic noise. As the door busted open a look of surprise was on his face when he saw Fran. Quickly, he made his way over to the boy's bedside, placing a hand on his shoulder to shake him back and forth.

"Young Master! Young Master, wake up!" Mukuro called to him, but to no avail. He shook Fran harder, worry deep within his visible blue eye.

Finally, Fran's lids opened slightly, but his gaze looked lifeless. Sure, he always seemed to look that way, but their was something alarmingly different than the usual expression. It was as if he was in a different world, dazed with his eyes glazed over. The color of his beautiful emerald eyes not looked like a clear crystal gray, his face in a look of mental shock.

"S-stop.. don't.. touch me.. It hurts," he cried lowly, looking like he was in pain or mental distress as he let out ragged gasps.

Mukuro blinked, not knowing how to handle the situation. He immediately let go of Fran, not wishing to harm the child. But still, he insisted on yelling at him once more to snap him out of his dream-like state.

"Squirt! You have to get up, _now!"_

Mukuro?

Fran audibly gasped, jolting up from his bed with a sudden start. His breathing was irregular as he clutched his chest tightly. His eyes widened and darted around the room wildly, trying to find any sense of familiarity. Green. A frog stuffed animal. Books.

Good. He was back in his room. No black. No darkness. He was fine. Everything was going to be okay.

After a moment of self-calming, he let out a shaky exhale of breath. Echoing in his mind were the words_ I'm okay. I'm safe, _over and over again. Finally, he turned his eyes over to Mukuro with his usual, blank face. "Ah, Mukuro. Did you need something?"

Mukuro looked absolutely dumbfounded, flabbergastedeven. "Squirt, I just about had a heart attack! You were screaming, panting, making loud noises - I felt I had to help you snap out of it, you looked like you were in so much pain. Did you have a bad dream?" he asked.

_Pain. _It wasn't only that. He was afraid back there, absolutely horrified. Fran had been consumed by the beast, no doubt in his mind about it. Bel had eaten his mental state, and his heart.

"S-something like that," he managed to say, still shaken. "What exactly happened last night?" he asked quietly, a hand holding his throbbing head.

"I could ask you the same question," Mukuro said, sighing in relief. At least he seemed to be okay. "You collapsed last night, but were not exactly sure why. Maybe from stress? Afterward I dressed you like I always do and carried you off to bed while you were unconscious. Your parents and I were really worried," he explained.

_"My Parents? Yea right. They were probably only worried it'll affect my 'studies'," _Fran thought bitterly, though he didn't voice his feelings to his companion.

"I see. Much appreciated, Mukuro," he commended, earning a hesitant but small nod.

"Of course, it's my job as the butler of the house. But their is something I would like to mention, if you don't mind."

Fran raised a brow, but managed a confused nod at the statement. "Sure, by all means."

"Well, I hope you don't get embarrassed about it, but.," he exposed the slightest of smiles, pointing to the sheets. They were soaking wet!

Fran's face was absolutely flushed.

_Ah. Of course. This just isn't my day. _

"U-Um, could you..?"

"Of course. I will clean it up right away," Mukuro answered, holding back a chuckle. Fran climbed out of bed and Mukuro immediately went to work. "Would you like me to wash your Pajamas as well?"

"Y-yes please," Fran managed to say. This was so damn embarrassing! Great, now Mukuro thought he was some weirdo; his own butler! A 'wet dream'. Really? Just fantastic.

"Hey, um..."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Could you please not express this to Mother and Father?" Fran murmured, refusing to meet his eyes.

Mukuro smiled. "Of course, if that is what you wish."

"Thanks."

What had all that been about? Had he had a nightmare involving Belphegor? What the hell had he been thinking while dreaming, well, _that? _What even was that back there? He had such a messed up mind.

But Fran did realize one thing from that dream.

One, that someone very important in his life was gone forever, and he couldn't even remember who she was; his so called sister. And also, all the pain Fran buried in his chest would fade when he was with Belphegor. He may have been dangerous and unpredictable, but it was the only thing that made him truly feel alive. Deep down, Fran knew he needed to avoid him, but he also wanted to selfishly be around him. Maybe that dream really was true; he needed a therapist.

Little did Fran know, he had already starting falling, and that their next encounter was only around the corner.

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Thanks for reading! c:

To be continued. . .


	4. World so Cold

**A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated sooner! Please don't hurt me!  
**Okay, so I seriously just figured out it's almost the 1 year annivarsary of _Marked_ so I just _had t_o update. ( Only three chapters in a year? I am such a fail! ) For the last four days I have been working on the next couple chapters, and have thoroughly edited the first three. If you have been waiting for this chapter to be uploaded thank you so much for waiting so patiently! You will probably notice that things are a little different because I tweeked the last couple chapters, ( One of those is that Mukuro is now Charles. ) so I really recommend you re-read all of them. I know this chapter is half as long as the others, ( this chapter is only four thousand words instead of eight thousand... ) but I literally just wrote all this down today. Please don't hate me! Dx I couldn't think of anything else to write, and this benifits the plot. I promise.

**Warning: There is rape in this chapter. While not exactly detailed or thoroughly involved the thought it still there. And no, it's not between the two you probably want. If you don't like what is going to happen next please, by all means, skip through it and just read after the next page break I have. Everything goes downhill from here. You have been warned.**

* * *

**Marked**

**By: x-LittleMissAlice-x**

There it was - that familiar tense, aching feeling again. Why did it always persists to linger in the depths of his chest? Would it pass in time? What could he do to get rid of it?

Constantly, Fran felt like he was suffocating. The pain that gnawed at his heart only seemed to slowly devour him more day by day. Drifting in the back of Fran's mind was always the echoing question; how much more of this could he take? How much longer until he finally burned out from this charade?

Now, with recent events, there was a new question that screamed louder than ever to be answered. To Fran, it was also the most unsettling:

What was it about Belphegor that melted all of his negative thoughts and fears away?

Fran was lying out across the lower level of his bunk bed. The mattress was sheetless - due to Fran's earlier 'wet dream' – and his pajamas had been thrown in the washer by his trusty butler, Mukuro. Fran had been staring at the wooden planks bracing the upper bunk above him for the last thirty minutes. The only clothes he wore were a pair of fuzzy, frog boxers that stopped around mid-thigh, and the thin, white button up dress-shirt that was a part of his uniform. The rest of his uniform was downstairs hanging in the laundry room.

Fran had tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't find the will to. After that nightmare, he didn't want to be thrown back into that horrible place he once considered his 'dreams of sanctuary'. It was sad. Now, he couldn't even trust the depths of his own subconscious mind.

Lazily, he tossed his head to the side towards the clock and sighed heavily at the green digital numbers.

_6:10 Am. _Why was he such an early bird?

Fran decided to climb out of bed and take on the new day.

Making his way over to his door he slowly opened it with a small creak. Sticking his head out he cautiously looked side to side down the hallway.

No one was there. Perfect.

Fran carefully walked out into the hallway and shut the door silently behind him. Fran tip-toed on the wooden plants, every once in a while earning a small creak. Navigating through the maze of hallways he managed to find the grand, marble staircase. He placed his hand on the smooth railing, taking each step in front of him carefully as to not make too much noise.

He was almost to the bottom until he abruptly stopped. Glancing up he saw a large animal lying down in front of the door. It looked to be a cross between a tiger and a lion – a _liger._ The white liger stared at Fran with crystal blue eyes

The child held his breath and waited, making no movement to approach it. If he made any move to offend the liger it could lung at him without warning.

They stared at one another for several moments until the animal just yawned and looked away from Fran in disinterest, resting its head back on its paws. Fran smiled; the animal always was lazy.

With the main floor in sight he hopped down the second to the last step and landed gracefully to his feet. Fran sighed in relief.

_Good. They're all still asleep, _Fran thought. All he had to do now was sneak into the laundry room unnoticed, pull his clothes on, grab his shoes at the front door and the-

"Where do you think your going?"

Fran froze. His body tensed.

He knew that voice all too well. This was exactly what he feared, but he shouldn't have been surprised. He couldn't go anywhere undetected, especially from _him._

Fran gulped and turned his head towards the doorway. It was only opened a crack, in yet he could still feel those eyes staring at his figure through the small opening. Fran didn't say a word, didn't move a muscle.

"Come."

Fran did as he was told without another thought.

Fran walked over and pushed open the wooden door. Inside sat a man on the edge of his bed, shirtless. A bottle of alcohol sat on the dresser, half empty. Two more bottles were next to it without a drop left.

Fran's eyes narrowed at the bottles. Already it was so early and he was drinking. That was not a good sign.

Fran's pale eyes looked at the man's face. A deep scar was on the left side, a dark color compared to the man's tan skin. He was built; muscles strong and define. He was older than Fran, a lot older; perhaps in his late twenties. He had dark crimson eyes that bore into Fran's. His very gaze was icy, strict. It was obvious he was always in control and never took "no" for an answer. Fran couldn't think of a time he chose to defy him.

The male motioned Fran to come closer, patting his lap. Wordlessly, Fran made his way over to him and sat on his knee like a perfect little doll. Fran stared off into space, his gaze blank and lifeless. The man's fingers rubbed against Fran's slender arm, pulling the boy closer into his ripped torso. Fran didn't rebel and leaned against.

Fran was silent a moment before quietly asking, "Where is Mother?"

"Out. She won't be back for a while," came the deep voice.

Fran's eyes narrowed and stared at the wall. He shouldn't be surprised. His parents were never home; especially his mother. Fran didn't care much for her though – or anyone really for that matter. Fran and his mother always had a rocky relationship. It was something that would never change, something he didn't _want _to change.

"Why have you been ditching school?" The man suddenly asked. His tone was to the point, ruthless.

Fran flinched, refusing to meet his all-too-knowing eyes. One slip up, one body language out of characters and he would surely know. Know about Fran's single distraction. Know about the only thing that made Fran feel alive when he was suppose to be dead inside; Belphegor. If this man found out he wouldn't hesitate to kill him. And that probably scared Fran the most.

The man's hands moved up Fran's arms, slipping his large fingers through the boy's mint tresses. Fran forced himself to keep still, unfazed.

"I have not been ditching school," Fran stated, monotone. Their was no indication that Fran was lying, and he really wasn't. He hadn't "ditched" a day of school, or spontaneously decided he wasn't going to show up to class. It was only afterward with Bel did he finally decide to go home. The other days Fran had either arrived late or his butler had driven him elsewhere for the day – but he couldn't possibly have known that, it was a secret only between him and Mukuro.

"Then you've been goofing off, distracted." His words were not a question, but simply a statement.

"I have not been goofing off. That involves having 'fun'. I cannot feel such emotions, you told me that yourself," Fran replied.

"So you have been distracted then."

_Busted._

Fran's eyes narrowed. He didn't have anything in mind he could say to downgrade that response. Something was distracting him and he couldn't lie about it, couldn't dismiss it.

Because Fran couldn't lie he decided not to say a thing at all. He sealed his lips tight, a silence hanging in the air between them. The man's hands continued to run their fingers through Fran's hair, until they moved to his neck. The next thing Fran knew the man yanked down the white collar of his thin shirt, the gashes, hickeys, and love bites all too visible on his pale skin.

Fran silently panicked.

He wanted to run. He wanted to jump off the man's lap, pull his collar up again and tell him he saw nothing before bolting out the door. If it had been anyone else, any other human being that didn't have such a hold on him, Fran wouldn't have hesitated to bolt the hell out of there. But life just wasn't that simple.

"I never realized you liked shaggy-headed blondes."

Fran's heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened slightly, feeling fear start to creep in the pit of his stomach.

He knew. Of course he knew. Why hadn't he been more careful? How much did he already know?

"What are you talking about?"

" You really think I didn't know? Even the school's roof has cameras."

"...What else do you know?"

"Something about strange, 'wet dreams'. Does that ring a bell?" Fran could hear the smirk in his voice. Fran's eyes narrowed, silent anger flowing in his veins.

That little snitch! Mukuro really did tell him, even after Fran made him promise he wouldn't. But then again, Fran should have seen this coming. Mukuro's words echoed in Fran's mind:

"_As much as I'd love to help you out, your father is a scary man. I don't want to piss him off again."_

What a coward.

"Who's the blonde? What's his full name?"

Fran mentally sighed in relief. If he was asking, that meant he didn't know who Belphegor was. Maybe he still had a chance.

"I don't know." Fran's voice didn't falter. He honestly didn't know Belphegor's_ full_ name, so their was nothing to say.

The man gripped the collar of Fran's shirt and tossed him to the side effortlessly. As Fran fell into the mattress the man shifted his body on top of the boy, his large torso looming over him. Piercing red eyes drilled into his, studying Fran closely.

"Your lying, aren't you?"

"I am not," Fran didn't break eye contact. His blank gaze was unwavering. "I told you, I really don't know."

"So your just a slut then? Doing things like that with a complete stranger." The man said this harshly. Fran didn't know how to respond.

It wasn't like he was sleeping around or anything. Besides, it was against his will, wasn't it? He shouldn't have been the one in question. If anything, Fran was the victim.

"I haven't had any physical anal relation with him." Belphegor and Fran had not had sex – in reality, at least.

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously. He leaned closer to the boy's face, unpredictable red eyes taking in his angelic features.

"Good," he breathed, the stench of alcohol in his breath. "If I ever see you hanging around him or he touches you like that again I'll kill him."

Fran's heart squeezed at the thought. He managed to nod firmly once, registering the threat. "I understand."

"Now tell me who you belong to, who owns you."

Fran didn't hesitated, as if the response was drilled into his mind. " I belong to Xanxus. No one else owns me, no one else can have me. I am only a doll for his purpose and use. I belong solely to you."

Xanxus smirked to himself in satisfaction. His large hand slid down Fran's neck to the button of the boy's shirt. Easily he undid it, exposing the white, untouched flesh underneath it. "Excellent. Now stretch your legs out nice and wide for me and just relax."

Fran gulped, trying to stop himself from squirming under the icy touch. If he struggled it would only make him more angry. "B-but I'm going to be late for school," Fran sputtered out, trying to come up with an excuse.

He needed to leave this room. He needed to run.

Xanxus' hands gripped Fran's shoulder to stop him from moving. He nipped the boy's left ear and simply whispered, "Then I guess you'll just have to make me cum quickly and then be on your way, now won't you?"

"...Yes, Father."

Fran limped on the gravel path before him. His eyes were lifeless. His body ached. His thoughts were scattered. He felt broken. No, he _was_ broken.

Shutting his emotions off was the best thing he could do; it was the only thing he could do. Their was no other way to cope with the pain, both emotionally and physically. Half of the time Fran didn't even know what he was doing anymore. He was lost.

_I have to get to school. I have to get to school. If I'm late again he'll punish me. Not again. Never again._

Fran kept pushing himself onward, trying to ignore the ache in his backside as he walked awkwardly. His legs started to feel weak under him, and his knees were wobbling. Fran finally came across a park in the middle of the forest.

Their were several slides, all going in different directions. Some of them twisted, others went straight down, and a few did a little bit of both. Forts were all over the playground, connected to different objects to play on. Their were a set of yellow monkey bars and several sets of swings, as well as other objects. The park looked abandoned, like it had barely been used in years.

Fran walked over to one of the forts and climbed up the latter. He crawled across the upper level and squeezed himself into a red tunnel. Fran hugged his knees, staring at the rounded wall in front of him.

He needed to rest. He needed to think. This, Fran decided, would be his new sanctuary.

Fran sighed heavily and learned his head back against the red wall. He closed his eyes, reevaluating his thoughts.

In the end he didn't get to ask about his sister.

What was he suppose to say? He heard he once had one in a dream? Fran didn't even know if this person existed. Now matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember any traces of her, anything about her. What did she look like? Where was she now? Was she really dead like his dream claimed for her to be? Why hadn't his parents mentioned a thing about her?

This wasn't the only thing on Fran's mind. Mukuro had betrayed him and Fran refused to forgive him for that. How long had he been leaking information to his father? Fran didn't quite trust Mukuro per say, but he did think highly of him. Well, at least he did. Now he didn't want a thing to do with him. Maybe that was why Fran selfishly insisted on walking to school today instead of going most of the way by car. He couldn't stand to look at Mukuro, let along be in the same car as him. Despite the pain it caused him walking was well worth it. He would have to avoid Mukuro for a while, at least until his father wasn't so suspicious of Fran to ask him for information.

The hat on Fran's head slipped into his lap. Fran picked it up, staring into its googly eyes that looked back at him. Fran frowned in thought.

And then there was Belphegor. What was Belphegor exactly to him? His bully, his classmate, but what else? What made him feel like that blonde was important enough to cover for? Why did Fran's heart squeeze whenever he thought about Xanxus hurting him? Fran couldn't wrap his head around it. He had never felt the need to care about anyone before. What made Belphegor so different from any any other person?

Fran smiled weakly, shaking his head to himself.

"You think I'm pathetic, don't you?"

"Sure do."

Fran jumped at the sudden voice coming from above him.

Suddenly, a blonde head poked out from the other side of the tunnel, hanging upside down and staring at Fran. A wicked grin was plastered on his face, cocking his head to the side like a deranged serial killer.

"Nice to see ya again, Froggie."

Immediately the dream came to Fran's mind. The edge of his cheeks involuntarily heated as he swiftly turned his head away.

What was he doing here of all places? Fran couldn't be seen with him. If Xanxus found out...

"Wish I could say the same," Fran droned.

Belphegor smirked."Isn't someone in a bad mood today?" he teased.

The blonde flipped his body over and slid inside the tunnel next to Fran. Fran scooted over, trying to get further away from him. Maybe if he didn't make contact with Belphegor he would be safe. Maybe his emotions wouldn't come to surface or overflow.

Fran didn't say a word. He stared straight ahead, trying to ignore Bel's presence. Belphegor blinked at the cold demeanor. There was something different about Fran today. No sarcastic comeback? No insult? What was wrong with him?

"Hey Froggie, you okay?"

"..."

"H-hey, don't just ignore me like that. What happened? You look terrible."

"Thanks," Fran deadpanned, his eyes void of any emotion. He didn't offer Belphegor a glance. "I really don't want to talk about it," Fran stated dully.

Fran was still shaken by what happened earlier. He didn't want Belphegor to find out what had happened to him. Fran silently wished he could forget about it himself.

Belphegor stared at Fran, confused. "Froggie..." his voice trailed before falling silent. What happened to that will of his? He looked nothing more than a lifeless puppet now.

Fran placed the hat between him and Belphegor, hoping to use it as a barrier between them. Fran hugged himself, fragile hands holding his elbows tight like it was the only think linking him to reality. His mind was still in Xanxus' room, their conversation still fresh in his mind.

"_If I ever see you hanging around him or he touches you like that again, I'll kill him."_

"What happened to your arm?"

Fran snapped out of his thoughts as a hand reached forward quickly and grabbed Fran. The boy winced, feeling where he touched ache and tingle at the same time. A bruise could be seen all the way around Fran's arm. They looked to be the bruising of strong fingers that had been gripping Fran to hard.

Fran quickly snatched his arm away from Belphegor, shooting him a warning glare.

"Nothing," he replied icily.

Belphegor's own eyes narrowed behind his hair. "Tell me."

"I won't."

Belphegor growled. He hurled his body forward and placed both of his hands on either side of Fran's head in an instant. He clashed his lips onto Fran's without mercy, not giving the boy a chance to react.

Fran stiffened but couldn't find the will to push him away. The spark went through his lips to the pit of his stomach. Fran could feel his soul start to shift inside of him, coming back to life. The lids of his eyes felt heavy, his head light and hazy. The pain melted and was replaced with a numbing, tingling sensation. He could feel his emotions clawing their way to the surface, itching for their voices to be heard.

As their lips parted Fran let out a shaky exhale. The surfaces of Fran's eyes looked fragile, as if they could shatter at any given moment. What did Belphegor do to him? When did he become to weak? Fran couldn't understand it.

"Who hurt you?" Belphegor asked fiercely.

Fran's gaze lingered elsewhere, trying to avoid looking at him, but Belphegor just moved his head back to have no where else to look but at his face. "Who did this?"

Fran swallowed. "M-my father did," Fran murmured.

Belphegor's eyes hardened. "What did the bastard do to you? Tell me," Belphegor demanded.

"I don't thin-"

"-Tell me," Belphegor repeated, stronger this time.

Fran whimpered. "Bel-senpai. You don't..." Fran stopped when he felt the intensity of his eyes. He wasn't going to give up until Fran told him what he wanted to know. He was persistent, that was for sure.

Fran sighed heavily. "He beat me," he whispered weakly. "He did that after he raped me."

Fran told himself it was nothing. It meant nothing. Fran was used to it by now.

When Xanxus was angry or he hadn't seen Fran in a while he would always call him to that room, especially when his mother wasn't around. The more Xanxus was aggravated from either his day or anything Fran had said or done, the rougher he was on Fran's frail body.

Fran may have seemed like an innocent little boy on the outside but he wasn't anything of the sort. Fran had lost his innocence a long time a go.

Fran would always crawl out of that bed afterward and try to scrub away the evidence, the filth that could not be undone. Fran would rub until his flesh burned and became raw. He would lie to himself, convince himself this was only a way of survival. Xanxus owned him, so Fran couldn't deny him.

Each day was a fight to keep going, keep pushing forward. And Fran was convinced that would never change.

"The fuck? How long has this been going on?"

"For as long as I can remember..." Fran confessed. "What did you expect? For me to be some blushing virgin? Sorry to burst your bubble, Senpai," Fran mumbled, his expression grim. He tried to smile but it was painful. Too disturbing.

Belphegor let out a growled. Fran could feel his hands holding his face start to shake in anger.

Belphegor released Fran's head and was already out of the tunnel in a matter of seconds. As the touch disappeared Fran slouched where he was sitting, his facials slipping down. He could feel his heart start hardening, feelings being buried once again at the lack of contact. Belphegor was pacing back and forth on the forth, his fists clenching on his sides.

"I'll murder him! I'll break every single bone in his body and slice that asshole to ribbons, then I'll-"

"Bel-senpai."

"-No, that's not painful enough. Instead I'll smash his face into a bloody pump and then I coul-"

"Bel-senpai!" Fran brought both of his hands to Belphegor's wrist, trying to stop him.

Belphegor quickly snapped out of his diabolical thoughts and looked down at him. Fran's eyes were pleading as he shook his head back and forth in disapproval.

"You will not lay a finger on him."

"And why the fuck not? Your _mine,_ not his. No one is allowed to do that to you, _ever_, and I don't care who the hell it is."

Fran flinched. Is that all he ever was? A piece of property?

"Look, Bel-senpai. You. Don't. Own. Me." Fran said this slowly, as if he was speaking to an ignorant child. "Don't you get it? I belong solely to him, and it will always be that way. I cannot escape his grasp. I can't leave him. He would kill me if he had the chance, and anyone else in his way. If he found me again he would..." The depths of Fran's eyes looked frightened as his voice trailed, unable to voice the rest of his sentence.

_...He would torture me like he did before._

"Then let's run away together," Bel said suddenly.

Fran blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. You said only if you were ever caught. If you ran off with me no one would be able to find us, and you would finally get to be mine and mine only. Isn't that what you want? You want freedom, don't you?"

Fran stared at him. That didn't sound like a wise plan. And why the hell would he run off with his bully anyway? This guy was absolutely insane! Fran would probably be murdered before he could even run away - by either his father, or by his antagonist.

Fran sighed heavily. "It would never work. Even if I did try to run away he would find me. He always knows where I am. Always."

"Even right now?"

Fear crept into Fran's heart. He didn't even think about that. Did Xanxus know where he was right now? This very instant? He probably did, and that thought scared Fran.

"If you won't run way with me then I'll just have to kill him," Belphegor grinned, his snicker as wide as the Cheshire cat's.

Fran's grip on his arm tightened, his eyes narrowing. "You can't kill him."

"And why the fuck not?"

Fran paused, as his eyes trailed to the ground.

"...Because Xanxus is my father," Fran muttered ever so quietly.

Belphegor blinked behind his hair. His stomach tightened in recognition. Belphegor took an instinctive step back, slipping out of Fran's touch. His eyes were bewildered under the wall of blonde bangs, visibly shaken by the name.

"Y-your dad is Xanxus? You mean..."

"The man who owns Varia Academy and the leader of the Varia Mafia? Yes, that would be my father," Fran muttered, all hope lost in his tone.

The world really was a cruel, cold place.

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Cliff-hanger!  
I was going to make this chapter longer, but decided I'll just cut it off here. I'll continue how this goes in the next chapter.  
I know you hate me! I can't believe I did that to poor Frannie! He's traumatized! D': Damn Xanxus.  
Love it? Hate it? Yea, I know you hate it. Please tell me what you thought in a review. Reviews inspire me and make me upload faster. c: Yay for new chapters!

The "hug system" is still in affect - Fran needs some lovin'. So does Bel. D:  
I'll add the "slap system" too. Just for Xanxus. And probably because a lot of you probably want to hurt me right now. . .

Please forgive me!

**Next Time: **How does Belphegor respond to the news that Xanxus is Fran's father? Does Bel have a connection to him from the past? How will this affect their relationship?

**I am looking for at least 40 reviews before I upload the next chapter.**

**To be continued. . .**


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